Changing fortunes for terror attack Baby Osinya as he starts school, one year later

Kenya: Baby Satrin Osinya's future is looking bright, one year since terrorists snuffed out his mother's life. Satrin has started school. He is in kindergarten at the Potterhouse School in Runda, Nairobi, which offers the British National curriculum.

It is one year since terrorists stormed into the Joy of Christ Church in Mombasa, firing indiscriminately and leaving six dead and others injured. Two months to his second birthday, the terrorists killed his mother and left a bullet lodged in his head.

When The Standard broke the story of Satrin, the whole nation was touched. Amref Flying Doctors flew him to Nairobi, where Kenyatta National Hospital surgeons successfully removed the bullet which had not caused internal damage.

Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko later took in Satrin and his brother, Gift Moses, who was photographed carrying the injured Satrin to safety on the fateful Sunday. Gift is in boarding school in Thika.

The Standard team drove to Potterhouse School on Friday when pupils were leaving for home in the afternoon. There were two buses, and Satrin was driven off in one bus, together with only one other child.

How fast children grow. You can hardly relate him to the boy of last year, who, head bandaged, was always in his father's arms. His father, Benson Osinya speaking on phone from Mombasa says a lot has changed in one year.

"We used to be a large family," he says, pauses, "but since my beloved passed on... things have changed."

But he is glad that his two sons are getting a good education. Satrin and Gift normally visit him during school holidays.

His two older sons Peter Osinya, 24, and Eric, 23, have since joined college. "I pay their school fees. Sonko said he will mostly concentrate on Satrin and Gift. The Government through the office of Kuttuny (Joshua Kuttuny, political advisor to the President) promised me a job, I waited and waited," he says.

His name had been forwarded to Kenya Power, which was to give him field work.

He says that after the wait became too long, Sonko came to his rescue again. "Sonko has several houses at the Coast. Some are undergoing construction and renovation and I supervise the works," he says.

He has not planned anything as a commemoration but says he will organise for prayers.

Efforts to reach Sonko were fruitless. The school administration said they cannot comment on confidential information about their pupils.