All the shops opened for business with the exception of Artcaffe, where diners were shot during the four-day siege that started on September 21, 2013.
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“We have reopened Westgate shopping mall to the public and there is no need for apprehension since there are stringent security measures in place to ensure no tragedy occur again”, said Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.
But when Westgate Mall reopened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Saturday morning, shoppers and politicians poured through the security scanner into the glittering light-filled interior, in a rare moment of hope and closure. The four gunmen involved in the shootout were killed.
“The shots went on so intensely that we had to get out of our cars”, he said.
The mall’s return comes two years after Somali-based militants attacked the center in retaliation for Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia, killing 69 people. In anticipation of their prodigal son Obama’s arrival, many Kenyans have lost their goddamn minds.
“We were there during the attack inside the Westgate mall and now we’re coming back with all the spirit and boost and morale, and we’re very happy to do that”, said one man.
In Nairobi, Kenyans remained sceptical about government handling of the crisis.
“We really can’t allow acts of terrorism to control our lives”, he said.
But Al Shabab appears to have gained strength within Kenya in the past year, mounting a series of deadly attacks, mainly on the coast and in the northeast.
Security analyst Mwenda Mbijiwe said Kenya still has to learn the lessons of Westgate if it is to prevent similar attacks.
Footage of the attack showed people fleeing the gunmen and cowering behind counters.
All four gunmen are believed to have died during the assault.
The attacks have taken a toll on Kenya’s economy and its appeal as a tourist destination, as the country no longer is seen as an island of stability in a troubled part of the world.
A till worker serves customers inside the Nakumatt supermarket in the reopened Westgate shopping mall, in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, July 18, 2015.
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“Of course it was a trauma. For three months I had bad dreams”, she said. You can meet different people.
