Gone but not forgotten, cerebration of terror attack heroes and heroines

Workers of the Dusit hotel that was attacked by terrorists last week carry portraits of their colleagues who perished during the attack during a requiem mass at Consolata shrines in wetlands on 23/1/19-[Photo: Beverlyne Musili,Standard]

Family, friends and colleagues of six employees of dusitD2 Hotel who died during the terrorist attack gathered for a requiem mass held at the Consolata Shrine, in Nairobi yesterday.

The church is a few metres from the scene of last Tuesday’s attack.

The six: Beatrice Mutua, Bernadette Konjalo, Trufosa Nyaboke, Erickson Momanyi, Dedricks Lemisi and Zachary Nyabwanga were remembered for their bravery during the attack.

The event comes only a day after six other staff of Cellulant who died in the same attack were remembered at a similar ceremony held at CITAM valley road church.

The sermon delivered by the parish priest gave hope to the congregants, most who knew the departed, emphasising that the brave souls are not lost but are now resting with the Lord. 

“God does not want us to take our lives and those of others, we need to forgive the attackers and keep praying for them to change,” said the priest.

Family members

He also called for the need to strengthen the family support system to help those undergoing challenges such as losing a loved.

No family members of the six departed employees spoke during the mass.

However, various speakers who were not related to the deceased took to the podium to speak of the courage of the departed.

Beatrice Mutua, who served as the personal assistant to the General Manager at dusitD2, was described as a humble soul who interacted with everyone at the hotel regardless of the position.

She was also remembered for creating an impact in other people’s lives by sharing what she had with the less privileged

According to Michael Metaxas, the dusitD2 General Manager she worked for, Ms Mutua loved visiting children homes.

“She was so loved by everyone she interacted with and will never be forgotten by the children at the homes she used to visit,” said Mr Metaxas.

Dedricks Lemisi and Zachary Nyabwanga were eulogised for their selfless act of protecting other people’s lives while putting theirs in danger

They were the security personnel on duty during the fateful day. They were killed at the entrance to the complex

One of the speakers, while recounting the ordeal, remembered the two as gallant men, who did a lot to rescue people before they met their end.