Hope as Westgate regains original shape

Westgate Mall's security has been beefed-up after terror attack. [Jonah Onyango/Standard]

The fifth anniversary of the Westgate attack passed quietly on Friday with reflections focusing on weakened Al Shabaab and the billions sunk in fighting them. Since the Garissa University Attack in April 2015, two years after the Westgate attack that killed 67, the Al shabaab has been reduced to small scale attacks targeting mostly security officers along Kenya’s border with Somalia.

In Nairobi, Westgate, the de facto face of Kenya’s resilience against global terror is soon opening its second wing that will return it to its original space. South African retailer Shoprite has replaced Nakumatt as its anchor tenant, signaling a vote of confidence in the mall.