Nairobi mall to re-open 2 years after extremist attack

A 2013 attack at Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall left at least 67 people dead and injured five Americans along with hundreds of other people. Kenya’s embarrassment was compounded by Westgate security footage which showed soldiers looting the mall after the Somali militants were killed.

The attack in the capital Nairobi hit Kenya’s tourist industry.

Despite its growing economy and status as a regional hub, Kenya has been hampered by spillover violence from neighboring Somalia, where al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab controls large swaths of the country.

Governor Evans Kidero toured the mall, which has been largely refurbished since the attack, on Tuesday, reported News24.

Atul Shah, who heads the main regional supermarket chain Nakumatt – whose store in the mall was where numerous victims were hunted down in aisles and killed – said they were ready to reopen.

In April, the Al Qaida-linked militants massacred 148 people at the region’s Garissa University, majority students. Britain and other Western powers have issued several travel advisories warning of more attacks. Due to the incident many businesses saw massive losses and a mall that was once a symbol of Kenya’s economic prosperity, soon turned into a sign of the nation’s insecurity.

This will be Obama’s first visit to Kenya since becoming president in 2009, it will however be his fourth to Africa since becoming U.S. president.

According to a report by Reuters, a private Israeli company named I.R.G. has been tasked with ramping up the mall’s security. The mall will reportedly have new safety features such as explosive detectors, luggage X-rays, scanners to check underneath cars, bollards to prevent vehicle bombs, and bullet-proof guard towers.

“This will be the safest mall in the world”, said Cohen, an IRG. employee who did not wish to give his full name. The reopening of the mall will likely revive the job market in the country, Reuters reported. “But you have to take a chance to survive”.