My thoughts are with you Kenya

Sadness fills me today as I follow the events that unfolded at Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. After receiving a message from a friend of mine early this afternoon telling me there were shootings in the mall as a gang was in there, I immediately sent my mum and dad a message to find their whereabouts. They were safe. They had been at the mall only an hour prior to this tragic event; they could have been part of it. Shock spreads through me.

I feel sick to my stomach, and tears keep appearing. How can people do this? I know things like this happen all over the world, but when they occur at home, it becomes a reality. It is such a traumatic thing that has happened; many people have been injured either by bullets, grenades going off, or by trying to escape. There are so many different news reports at the moment, and none of them say the same thing; so it is difficult to know what is actually going on. Everything is purely speculation at the moment, and as far as I know I don’t think there is a reason as to why. On the news channels, there are many reports from scared witnesses, but at least survivors.

Images are being released on the various news channels; all traumatic and heart wrenching. Peoples’ privacy should be respected, it isn’t necessary to publish pictures of the wounded; but at the same time that it is what sells. The public want to be kept up to date with the ‘now’, and bad news sells. It’s competitive for a news journalist and you must be a strong person, or immune to a certain things to be able to take such disturbing images. These images and the ambiguous stories however cause panic among many.

Following the news throughout the day, the situation hasn’t improved. Apparently there is still a hostage situation. All GSU and police forces are surrounding the mall, acting careful because of the civilians inside.

I tremble at the thought of it. This is one of Nairobi’s most popular and one of the newest shopping malls. This is where I go when I am home; this is where my parents and friends shop. All the pictures that are being displayed, I have been there. That is why this is so scary to me. Even though my parents are safe and my brother is in Cape Town, I just wish we were all together in the same place-I would feel more comfortable and more at ease. My heart goes out to all the families that have been torn apart today. One of Kenya’s radio presenters died today- RIP. She was young, talented and a soon to be mother; her life was taken away from her too soon.

Other information that is going around is from a survivor- who said at the time they didn’t know where their children were. However, they acted like adults; they were calm, and pretended to be dead so the shooters wouldn’t shoot them- what clever children. The daughter saved her brother by pushing him out the way. When I read this, I thought of my own brother. I would take a bullet for him, but I hope we are never in that situation. I thought today that it could have been any one of us in there, and that thought gives me a knot in my stomach. I am so thankful that it wasn’t.

To all of you that were there, and are there still; my prayers are with you. I hope this nightmare soon comes to end, so people can try and recover from this. If you are reading this and are in Nairobi, I urge you to please donate blood. There are many that need it, including children. Doctors are also needed as the hospitals are filling up quickly. Please though, everyone, stay safe and away from that area. This is a time when the population needs to come together and help one another. I can’t from here, but I am certainly thinking of all of you and praying that none else will be injured.