Nairobi mall reopens nearly 2 years after terrorist attack

It was the bad example, the embarrassment, the painful memory. 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.

Ben Mulwa, 34, a survivor of the attack, was among the first five to escape the mall during the September 2013 attack, after hiding in a flowerbed as the four terrorists walked by him into the mall. Their calm, expressionless faces haunt him to this day.

He was one of the first to return Saturday, coming, he said, “to finish that business that brought me to Westgate mall,” a lunch meeting with a friend.

“Today is an inspirational moment for us. Many people didn’t make it, as we did. Today we are excited because we are back on our feet and we can convince the world that terrorism is not bringing us down any time soon,” said Mulwa.

At least 67 people died in the attack, which was carried out by four gunmen from the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab in a siege that dragged on for days, with initial fears that the gunmen might have been holding dozens hostage. The number of attackers was also feared to be higher than just four gunmen, who freed those who could recite a Muslim profession of faith and shot down others, including children.

The attack showed how terrorist gunmen could inflict a devastating toll on a soft civilian target, without the need for suicide vests, explosives or bombs. Al Shabab’s attack on a university in the northern town of Garissa in April used the same template, when a small group of gunmen stormed the student residences shooting Christian students, and even taunting parents and loved ones on their victims’ cellphones. At least 147 died.

Westgate Mall, once the country’s most elite shopping spot, was closed after the attack. Its hulking empty frame conveyed not only the country’s security failures in its battle against Al-Shabab, which justified the attack as revenge on Kenya for sending its troops to Somalia to fight the militants, but also was a grim reminder of other unpleasant moments: the police who looted stores in the shops left empty after the attack, the misleading statements (some said the downright lies) of the authorities during the crisis, and the squabbling between arms of the security forces that stymied the response.

Mulwa, a communications consultant, had been driving up into the mall’s rooftop car park when the first shots rang out. He abandoned his car, the motor still running, blocked from behind.

“The shots went on so intensely that we had to get out of our cars. I went to hide in a flowerbed on the way to the rooftop. While I was hiding, I saw the terrorists walk through the entrance. They shot at me. I remember the particular shot that grazed my head. The bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit my leg.

“They shot the security guard who was right in front of me. He died in front of me because he was shot in the head.”

The faces of the killers are still locked in his mind.

“Their faces were so cold. They seemed to be enjoying exactly what they were doing. They didn’t seem to be perturbed at all. Their faces I'll never forget for the rest of my life.”

Security was heavy at Saturday’s opening with army and police vehicles, and guards patrolling with handheld radio. Inside staff at a health-food shop held candles. The smell of coffee wafted over the shiny tiles, as customers filed into a ground floor cafe.

Security analyst Mwenda Mbijiwe said Kenya still has to learn the lessons of Westgate if it is to prevent similar attacks.

“When they give a bad example, it’s Westgate. That’s how embarrassing Westgate has been for our country. Have we learned the lessons? We should ask ourselves the question.”

He said unless security was improved at the Israeli-owned mall, “there will be another attack here. Terrorists are not stupid. They will come to check it out. They will want to put a nail in the coffin. This is an Israeli facility. They will want to shame them.”

But the mall’s management has promised tight security, run by an Israeli security company, I.R.G, according to Reuters this week.

Inspector General Joseph Boinett strode into the mall, shaking hands with shoppers and greeting passersby.

“I’m glad it’s reopened. It shows we will not be intimidated by these criminals and terrorists. We will fight back. We will lead normal lives.”

Shoppers will get a 10 percent discount for every $30 spent at the 80,000 square foot (7,400 square meter) complex which is expected to employ more than 250 staff.

American fast food chain Pizza Hut also will open for the first time in Kenya at the mall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Nairobi mall reopens nearly 2 years after terrorist attack."