Garissa, Kenya: Students who survived the murderous raid told heart-rending narrations of how the killer militia tormented their victims.
According to students the militia men who were frequently communicating in Kiswahili allegedly said they were planning to carry out numerous similar attacks against learning institutions in several parts of the country.
Maureen Manyego, 21, said she hid in a wardrobe where she overheard the terrorists lecturing to their victims over why they had to kill them.
“Tumekuja hapa kuwauawa nyinyi na pia sisi tukufe.hatuogopi kukufa (We are here to kill and die with you). We are not afraid of death. You are dying to pay for the arrogance of your political leader [president Uhuru] who has refused to pull out their military officers from Somalia. As long as Kenyans military are in Somalia, it will be paid with its citizens blood,“ one gunman said.
Mayengo, who hails from Kakamega County, said that she struggles that led to the butchering of four of her hostel‘s met.
The second year Bachelor of Education student at the campus said she got a chance to hide herself in the wardrobe for about 30 minutes as the militia rampaged in the hostels killing students at sight.
She said some Muslim students who attempted to dissuade the killer from harming fellow students were sternly warned before they were ordered to go to the college‘s mosque where they will remain safe from any harm.
She said one of the gunmen told the Muslim ladies to vacate the hostels where their colleague were been butchered if they care about their own lives adding that theirs is a bigger mission to teach the Kenyan leadership a hard lesson that will compel them to withdraw their forces from Somalia soon or later.
Auma Geoffrey, 22, said that he took refuge on top of a wardrobe said the assailants, were forcing their victims to call their parents or relatives and notify them that they getting killed for the defiance of their leadership who has ignored their call for getting out of Somalia.
“I witnessed the attackers forcing their victims to make calls to their parents and tell them they ask their president and deputy to pull out their soldiers out of territories in the war-torn neigbouring country,“he added.