Hotelier jumped from second floor to save his life

This is what remains of Breeze View Hotel after the attacks. The proprietor, John Wanyoike, jumped from the second floor into a bush to escape attack.

Lamu, Kenya: John Wanyoike, a hotelier and proprietor of Breeze View Hotel in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, is lucky to be alive.

Wanyoike sustained few bruises on his arms and legs, after jumping from the second floor of his now gutted investment into the bush to escape the attackers who took over the township on Sunday evening.

Wanyoike recounted to The Standard how the gun and rocket-wielding militiamen stormed Mpeketoni at 8.30pm on Sunday and went for his hotel to kill and pillage while swearing slogans.

“When the attackers stormed into town I was on the second floor of my hotel. At first we thought the men, some of whom were jungle uniform, were police officers,” he said, adding that the attackers were communicating on radio sets. Shortly there after, men who were deployed across streets began storming buildings.

“When they began firing into the air I became suspicious that these were not police officers,” he said, adding that he also noted that one of the invaders’ two vans had an unidentified flag and the gunmen were barking orders in a language that “sounded like Arabic or Somali”.

Wanyoike says some of the men were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great in Arabic). He said there were only four guests in his hotel besides dozens of revellers and sports enthusiasts watching the World Cup.

As the attackers stormed the hotel and opened fire, customers fled for cover, some into the darkness and nearby bushes, he said.

“I decided to switch off the lights and one of the gunmen shot towards my window but missed,” he said.

Wanyoike said that he soon realised that the attackers were storming the rooms of the hotel, floor-by-floor and room-by-room, apparently in search of people to kill.

“Luckily the guests were not in their rooms because they were among the people watching the World Cup,” said Wanyoike.

Set ablaze

As he fled with bruises all over his limbs, he noted that his hotel was smouldering, having been set ablaze by the attackers perhaps with rockets that not only ignited the buildings but brought them down.

Wanyoike spoke to The Standard besides the hulk of his former bustling hotel. He estimates that he lost about Sh80 million worth of investments.

Besides other properties including a bank, petrol station and Kenya Women Finance Trust outlet the attackers also incinerated Deep Sea Hotel at a place called Kibaoni, 10 kilometres outside Mpeketoni.

Wanyoike was to reunite with his family after dawn when firing died down.