Amjad Parkar Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Kenyans in Saudi Arabia have reacted with horror to the bloody siege on the Westgate shopping center in Nairobi. Suspected militants from the Al-Shabab group stormed the mall on Saturday and made their way through the building, targeting non-Muslims, killing at least 61 people and injuring many more. Julius K. Tonui, a 43-year-old teacher from the Kenyan town of Kericho who works for an international school in Jeddah, said four former students died in the attack while a number of others had survived. He said: “No amount of words or action can bring them back but I feel so sad over their loss and the loss of all the other deaths so far accounted for. “I taught [these students] and I can see the eager faces and enthusiasm as they go about their lives. “Now they are no more.” He described Westgate as a busy place over the weekend where people visit to shop, watch movies, or meet up with their friends. The former students killed in the attack, he said, had met up to spend the day together, adding that he has spoken to those who survived. “A few of them, they are traumatized. “They can't even speak much at the moment, as they are deeply wounded and saddened by the loss of their friends. “It's even worse because it happened just very close to their school. He said that it would take a while for the surviving students to come to terms with the attack. “Trauma support and counseling will help them to continue with their lives. “I have been chatting with them throughout, giving them moral support and advising where I can. “I have provided quite a range of advice to them and encouraged them to see a counselor at the earliest opportunity.” Tonui said the militants who carried out the attack were “worse than wild animals”. “I can't believe another human being has to kill a fellow human being to achieve his rotten ambitions.Only God can take revenge over what they have done. Such people have no place on this planet.” He praised his compatriots back home for the support they have shown to those affected by the attack. “I am proud of the overwhelming support and donations towards the victims; this is the Kenyan spirit. “We are one nation and we remain one no matter where we are on this lovely planet. “Thanks too, to the world community for their support and prayers while condemning this despicable act of cowardice. “I urge our leaders to continue with the unity they forged during this moment of tragedy and unite Kenyans to safeguard our nation.” Bizzie Frost, a 59-year-old Kenyan freelance writer and photographer who was born in Nakuru and grew up in Kericho, said even though none of her friends and family were affected by the attack, the mother of one of her great-niece's school friends was killed. She said: “My nephew had been going to take his two sons to the Westgate Mall for lunch but luckily he was delayed at work. “Some of his colleagues were in the mall when the attack happened, but luckily they got out safely. “They all say that the attack has really gripped Kenya and Kenyans with absolute terror.” Frost described the attack as the worst to have struck the country since the US Embassy in Nairobi was bombed in 1998 and said general security in the country needed to improve. “Kenyans do not deserve this. Almost everyone lives with bars on their windows, many with electric fences around their plots, and with panic button access to private security firms. “You cannot rely on the police to help you. “All shopping malls have token security at their entrances, but would be powerless against a heavily armed gang, and it seems there were at least 16 in this one. “However, a terrorist attack such as this is a national security issue and this is something that the government needs to address urgently. “There is a huge Somali community living in Nairobi, as well as the countries sharing a common boundary. “Many Somalis are probably peace loving people, but the fact remains that they are the pirates; they are the ones who have kidnapped and killed people on the Kenya coast; they have kidnapped and killed medical workers in the refugee camps.” Frost believed that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta would take a “firm stand” on security following the attack, especially after his nephew and his fiancée were confirmed to be among those who died. Like Tonui, she said she felt “angry” at the gunmen who carried out the attack. “I am always shocked by brutal terrorist activity, whether in the days of the IRA attacks in the UK, or the Basque separatists in Spain, or terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab who act in the name of Islam. “Why do they have to attack innocent people who are just going about their daily lives? “Kenya has given huge help and hospitality to thousands of Somali refugees, and these terrorists sometimes hide in among them.” Frost urged more Muslims to condemn the attack. “It was very good that a young Muslim woman in Nairobi spoke out strongly on the fact that what these terrorists did was not Islamic. “We don't hear enough of those voices. “The president of Somalia (Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud) has spoken out against the attack and will be visiting Kenya when he returns from his US trip. “It seems that the siege is now under control, which is a relief. “We send our condolences to all those families who have lost loved ones, in particular their children, in this tragic event.” Saudi Gazette repeatedly contacted the Kenyan Embassy for a comment, but received no response.
