'I nearly lost my son in Riverside attack,' Mudavadi narrates

Piece by: Caren Nyota
Lifestyle

Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi on Saturday revealed for the first time that his son was among the 700 people who escaped death narrowly on January 15 during the terror attack at DusitD2 complex.

Mudavadi’s son, Michael, works within the precincts of the complex on 14 Riverside in Nairobi’s Westlands area.

He was rescued after two hours when the al Shabaab gunmen stormed the hotel and office suites.

Speaking on Saturday at Kimala Village in Taveta town, Mudavadi said he travelled from Nairobi to mourn the loss of the 27-year-old GSU officer who died in the attack.

Japhet Nduguja Nuru was fell by the terrorists' bullets as he and other officers stormed the building to rescue survivors.

The militants killed 21 people in the attack.

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Nuru was buried at his home village in a ceremony attended by thousands of mourners, including Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru and Taita Taveta governor Granton Samboja among other leaders. Mudavadi said;

Many people would ask why I have come here today. I have come here with my wife to pay a special tribute to this young man who was killed while saving hundreds of people during that terror attack at Dusit D2 in Westlands.

On the fateful day, Mudavadi said, his son was at work.

My son sent a text message to me and his mother saying that he might die, that he loves us and we should pray for him,” the ANC boss said.

According to Mudavadi, Michael and three of his colleagues survived by hiding behind a staircase on the emergency exit. Mudavadi said;

There was an opening somewhere; for two hours, there was gunfire in the building, it was a bad scene. But they were eventually rescued after two hours.

He thanked the the courageous fallen officer and his colleagues for the life of his son and that of the other survivors. He said;

I’m here because I was touched with the courage of the GSU officers who stormed that building to save lives.

Then added:

This young man, whom I did not know, was among the officers who rescued my son and all those who were at Dusit D2.

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Nuru, an elite GSU officer, joined the National Police Service in April 2015. He had served for three years before his tragic death.

Credits: Star