NAIROBI — Kenya's trendy Westgate shopping mall will reopen Saturday, almost two years since gunmen from the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab massacred at least 67 people inside and held out for four days as security forces laid siege to the complex.
Once a totem of Kenya's growing prosperity, the Westgate building has become symbolic of growing insecurity in the east African nation and President Uhuru Kenyatta's inability to prevent frequent Islamist attacks on Kenyan soil.
Images beamed across the world during the raid hurt Kenya's image abroad and scared off tourists, hurting a vital sector of the economy. Kenya's embarrassment was compounded by Westgate security footage, which showed soldiers looting the mall once the Somali terrorists were killed.
Evans Kidero, the Nairobi governor, said the attack September 2013 was “one of the saddest days in Kenyan history” but touted the re-opening of the mall as a triumph of national resilience.
“They killed ... our friends and relatives, but they did not kill our spirit,” he said when touring the building where workmen were slapping on final licks of paint and staff were unfurling promotional banners.
Major Western brands, including Subway, KFC and Converse, plan to open stores in the mall, along with Kenyan companies such as Nakumatt, a high-end supermarket chain popular with well-heeled locals and expatriate workers.
Al-Shabab has killed more than 400 people on Kenyan soil during the past two years, including 148 in a rampage by masked gunmen at a university in April. Britain and Western powers have issued several travel advisories warning of more attacks.
But Kidero said security has been stepped up and urged Kenyans to continue shopping in malls as the east African nation is open for business.
“Kenya is safer than ever. If it wasn't, Obama wouldn't be coming,” Kidero added, in reference to President Obama's visit to his father's homeland later this month.
I.R.G., a private Israeli company, has been put in charge of running security. It has about 25 specialist staff and will use about 55 guards from security firm G4S, an I.R.G employee said.
