KENYA: Funeral held for Kenyatta nephew killed in mall attack

Record ID: 354003

  • Title: KENYA: Funeral held for Kenyatta nephew killed in mall attack
  • Date: 27th September 2013
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (SEPTEMBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) WIDE OF CHURCH FUNERAL PROCESSION, COFFIN BEING WHEELED IN VARIOUS RELATIVES WALKING BEHIND COFFIN
  • Embargoed: 12th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAED8U4N5Z8NHXCSIUHZ54I0BH6
  • Story Text: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta leads mourners in the funeral of his nephew and his fiancee who were killed in the Nairobi shopping mall attack.
    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta led mourners on Friday (September 27) in the funeral service for his nephew Mbugua Maina and his fiancee Rosemary Wahito, who were killed in the Nairobi shopping mall attack.
    They were among the 72 people killed in an attack by Somali Islamist militants at the weekend.
    "We're here altogether, to celebrate the life as well as bid farewell to two wonderful young people who were just about to begin their lives together. A wonderful journey together, their journey together , their lives cut short by mindless criminals," Kenyatta told mourners at the Nairobi Chapel.
    The militants stormed the mall in a hail of gunfire and grenades at lunchtime on Saturday (September 21).
    The government said five attackers were killed, along with at least 61 civilians and six security personnel.
    Eleven suspects have been arrested, but it is not clear if any took part in the attack.
    Although the Red Cross lists 71 missing people, the government said it does not expect a big rise in the death toll.
    "These individuals thought that through acts like these, they could deter the sprits of a free and open society. They have failed miserably in that endeavour because this only emboldens us and tells us how great a spirit of a nation we have," Kenyatta said.
    Local media reported that Maina and his fiancee were reportedly looking for wedding rings at the mall ahead of the wedding.
    When the attack happened, Maina was safely outside, but upon realizing his fiancee was not with him, he rushed back inside where the gunmen were shooting, media reports said.
    "It's a time like this however when a national tragedy becomes a personal tragedy when we see our too young children lying before us. The pain and the loss that we feel becomes personal," Kenyatta said.
    The attack on the mall, which has left Kenyans reeling in shock, ended on Tuesday (September 24) when security forces detonated explosives to get through locked doors inside the mall as they searched for militants or booby traps.
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