The events of last weekend in Kenya at the West gate Mall have left all of us gripped with grief and anxiety at the heinous and senseless killing of innocent civilians and holding others hostage for close to 96 hours in what is arguably the worst and most prolonged act of terror in the world. Reports of sporadic gun shots, explosions, sirens and victim rescue operations have dominated both local and international media since that fateful Saturday that almost all of us East Africans wish we could forget. A spate of horrific tales from survivors began to trickle in early Sunday morning shortly before Al-Shabab, the notorious terrorist group based in Somalia and linked to Al-Quaeda, claimed responsibility of the attack on social media.
In the midst of shock and terror that gripped us all on the news of the attack, Kenyans took to social media to express their disbelief, and others, their anger. The dreaded promise that the terrorists had made to attack Kenya had come true. As stories of lost loved ones began to emerge, the shock became more real by the minute. Terror became a reality that Kenyans, amidst their anguish had to accept and deal with. Joined by Ugandans on Twitter (#UOT) and other people from all over the world, Kenyans expressed solidarity in the most outstanding way that any civil society has ever known. They were determined to defeat this monster that had invaded their land.
In the most unified voice on social media, using the hashtag #WeAreOne, Kenyan put their differences aside and commenced on an effort that would see more than half a million US dollars collected on mobile money to condole the victims of the Westgate attack, in a space of 48 hours, matatu drivers cut their fares by half to facilitate the easy movement of people to blood donation centres, droves of potential blood donors that overwhelmed the Kenyan Red Cross that some had to be turned away. Earlier on in what is arguably the biggest gesture of unity for Kenyans, President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation on the tragedy that had befallen them, alongside his election rivals Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi who did not fall short of mentioning that this tragedy had befallen Kenya as a nation and must be confronted in unison. This gesture went a long way in refreshing the Ubuntu spirit in Kenyans, reminding them that we are all Kenyans before we are anything else. That our differences must be put aside if we are to successfully mount a challenge to these terrorists. I am because you are. You are because I am.
Amidst the continuous gun shots and rampage as terrorists exchanged fire with the Kenya defence forces and police, Kenyans were scared but they never got divided. Scenes of volunteers preparing breakfast for the men in uniform and journalists covering the story are hard to forget. Ordinary Kenyans bringing water and food items to the security service men as they worked hard to secure as many hostages as possible was a one of the many heroic acts displayed by Kenyans. The chain of information flow was well controlled as Interior Ministry, The Kenyan police, the Inspector general of police, the president and several journalists close to the scene were constantly tweeting about the situation and encouraging Kenyans to stand firm, donate blood, condolences and remain unified in Christ as the situation gets resolved.
“If the terrorists did this to break us, they only made us stronger. #WeAreOne”, stated one tweet. A host of other tweets from #KOT (Kenyans On Twitter) preaching the same message poured on our Timelines throughout the ordeal.
Today, in the aftermath of the #Westgate, we remind ourselves of the unity that saw us through this trying time. We seek the face of God who delivered us from this weekend-from-hell. We thank him for our lives and we pray that He gives a peaceful rest to those beloved ones that departed from us in this untimely and tragic attack. We declare that these cowardly acts of terror will not change our lives or deter us from our resolve to fight the war against terror. Lest, we let them win. We continue to pursue them with a renewed commitment. We accept to pay the small price of check points at public places and extra vigilance to identify and isolate the would-be perpetrators.
We are shaken but we are not broken. Instead, we stand in solidarity. We brave the pain, the loss, the struggle to defeat these forces of darkness that threaten our sovereignty. To the Kenyan defence forces, we salute you. To the bereaved families here and abroad, we mourn with you. To the senseless terrorists, in the words of President Kenyatta, we shall make you to give “full accountability for all the mindless destruction, death, loss, pain and suffering we have undergone as a national family.” We shall defeat you.
We have defeated hatred with pure love and overcome cruelty with kindness. There’s no way terrorists can have that above us. To Ugandans and the rest of East Africa, there are many lessons to learn from this unfortunate event. Let’s do so with keen interest and a renewed unity against all odds.
@PathyKlinn
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