At some point, you must have been added to a WhatsApp group that you had no idea of and you quickly left or muted notifications (to avoid being labelled a snob).
Well, in the modern world, communication is a necessity and friends and family often create WhatsApp groups to stay in touch or share information on weddings, dowry payment or get-togethers.
When a loud blast was heard at 14 Riverside on January 15 at around 3pm, most people were confused and while some ran for their dear lives, others went online to see if there was any information being shared.
Within a few minutes, gunshots rented the air and fear gripped all those who worked at the premise.
"Surely this cannot be a robbery..." they thought to themselves as they sought alternative routes to vacate the building.
Word went round that it was a terror attack and within minutes it was trending.
Many tweeted that they had been trapped inside and called for help. They sent messages to their loved ones and some even said their last goodbye. It was that bad.
Philip Ogola, a Red Cross volunteer who describes himself as a ‘digital humanitarian’ got several distress messages and together with journalist Boniface Nyaga quickly created a WhatsApp group to help those who were stuck inside.
Those trapped gave their details plus those who were with them and the group was up and running.
Ogola had to verify some of the numbers before adding them to the group because the terrorists are also tech-savvy.
“We started off by telling them, 'please, do not disclose your location on social media. For your safety. Be very discreet.
“The terrorists are also tech savvy, they could be on social media,” he said.
As expected, those in the group kept on asking if rescuers were almost getting to their building but they were urged to stay calm and put their phones on silent as Recce combed floor by floor.
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The group also had medics who gave quick first aid tips to those nursing injuries, including screenshots on how to stop bleeding.
At some point, the gunfire stopped and many wondered whether Recce had given up on them.
"I can hear my eyelids blink," read one message.
“Are they getting us out today? Any progress”…asked another.
The ordeal had spilled over to the wee hours of Wednesday and there was a lot of uncertainty.
When the siege was declared over, Ogola reached out to those in the group and while some confirmed they had been safely evacuated, others did not text back.
They were among the 21 who lost their lives.
All in all, the WhatsApp group helped coordinate the safe evacuation of around 120 people during the attack.
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