The routine was the same and activities went on as usual to everyone that worked at the Dusit D2 hotel complex and its environs on a day like today in 2019. None of the people that frequented the hotel for meals, meetings, work, and those that worked in the surroundings had it in mind that danger lied ahead and that soon the hotel complex would become the source of awful event to be in the headlines of all media channels in the country.
At around 2:30 p.m. of 15 January 2019 when everything seemed cool at the 14 Riverside Vicinity, a loud explosion, followed by gunshot sounds filled the air and in a blink of an eye, people could be seen running helter-skelter for their dear lives, while others worriedly got stuck in buildings not knowing what to do. Soon the entire building was surrounded by various security personnel fully armoured to face the enemies and evacuate those that got caught up in the ordeal.
Kenyans have demonstrated a spirit of resilience and determination by remaining strong and unbowed to terror plots.
Despite the fact battling the enemies while evacuating people was not easy on both the security side and volunteers that came to support the entire process to the extent of lasting till the next day, the spirit of unity and determination that has always held us together as a nation saw the enemies neutralized and many people came out alive and strong.
The heinous 14 Riverside terror incident by Somalia- based extremist group Al Shabab happening nearly six years since the last major terrorist attack that happened in Nairobi’s Westgate mall in the affluent Westland’s neighbourhood is a call to Kenya not to relent in its counter-terrorism efforts but be well equipped to ensure that enemy plots are thwarted.
It is no doubt that the pain of losing lives to terror and the trauma that comes with such a monstrous act still lingers in the hearts and minds of many Kenyans but amid all the sorrows Kenyans have demonstrated a spirit of resilience and determination by remaining strong and unbowed to terror plots.
As we commemorate the 14 Riverside attack, we honour the strong men and women that we lost to this terrific event, through remaining united and not yielding to the enemies schemes.