Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan recounts traumatic journey to recovery after terror attack

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan is a victim of a terror attack in Nairobi in December 2012

Nairobi, Kenya: In pin-drop silence at the huge dome at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel, an MP, who survived a terror attack, recounted how he struggled with his recovery.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan explained to the guests at the National Prayer Breakfast about the trauma of having to deal with injuries, and the memories of the dead, while at the same time trying to get better.

“It was an experience of pain, anguish and suffering. I had the same feeling that many victims of terror attacks and their families and friends have. I was full of rage, bitterness and the burning desire to revenge. But after much reflection, I had the power to forgive and move on,” said Hassan.

The lawmaker, who still uses crutches, was bed-ridden for months; and after he got better, he had to use a wheel chair. The attacked happened in December 2012, and to date, the MP is still nursing the wounds.

The MP said he was lucky to have survived the grenade attack at a mosque in his constituency in Nairobi, where seven people, including two children died. Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.

The lawmaker said violent extremism and terrorism should not be allowed to divide Kenyans along religious or ethnic lines.

“All my life, I have lived with Christians. I was taught the alphabet and educated by Christians; and as I lay injured on my hospital bed, Christians, like my fellow Muslims, in their hundreds, visited and prayed for my recovery,” said Hassan.

The annual breakfast attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and other senior government officials, was a platform for the MP to address the country on its priorities in the fight against al Shabaab.