NAIROBI, Kenya — Relatives of the dead, survivors and shop owners converged outside Nairobi’s Westgate Mall on Sunday, lighting candles and laying flowers in memory of those killed a year ago when gunmen stormed the upscale mall.
The attack killed 67 people and left Kenya’s capital unsettled for days as militants battled with security forces, and people trapped inside tried to flee.
A memorial plaque with the names of the victims was unveiled in a separate ceremony at the Amani Garden memorial site in the Karura Forest on the edge of the city. Families laid flowers for their lost loved ones, sharing memories and tears.
Amu Shah remembered his son Mitul, who was killed in the attack.
“We have been completely shattered; our lives are not as they used to be,” Shah said. “He was very lively, very helpful, very cheerful. Anytime anyone needed any help, he was ready to go and help them.”
Police doubled patrols in Nairobi, chief David Kimaiyo said Saturday. They increased their presence in public places such as churches, supermarkets and malls after he warned residents to be “extra vigilant” in the coming weeks in anticipation of more attacks.
Al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility for the mall attack saying it was retribution for Kenya’s troop presence in Somalia, the group’s home base. More recently, al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab vowed to avenge the death of their leader killed in a U.S. airstrike this month.
While some held memorial ceremonies to commemorate the Westgate attacks, others tried to forget.
Muimi Kiteme, 26, watched a football match Sunday in hopes it could help erase the memories of Sept. 21, 2013. Kiteme was shot at by the attackers when they arrived at the mall in a car just after midday.
“I opened the door and crawled under the car. I could see the gunman’s feet as he walked around the car looking for me,” he said. “I do not want to remember. The things that I saw I want to forget this day. I am grateful to be alive, but I want to forget.”
