By James Shimanyula
NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenyans marked on Sunday the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on Nairobi's sprawling Westgate shopping mall that left 67 people, including four hostage-takers, dead.
"This incident should not happen ever again," 43-year-old Raju Shivani, who had survived the four-day saga, told Anadolu Agency.
He said the Kenyan government must adopt stringent measures to prevent any possible repeat of the attack.
"There are still threats coming in our country. So I would like the security people to take more precautions," added Shivani.
Unknown heavily -armed gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall, which is frequented by wealthy foreign residents, middle-class Kenyans and tourists, on September 21 of last year, taking scores of hostages.
As the sun set on Nairobi that day, the area around the mall was teeming with police, soldiers and special units.
As darkness engulfed the mall, an eerie silence developed into a standoff between security forces and the militants.
The following day, security forces staged a dramatic rescue of more hostages as they took control of most parts of the mall.
In the morning of September 23, as people eagerly awaited news on the end of the hostage-taking saga, blasts rocked Westgate followed by intermittent bursts of gunfire.
It did not take long before news of the security forces taking full control of Westgate spread as the air above the mall grew darker with more black smoke billowing from the building.
The next day Kenyan President Uluru Kenyatta declared the end of the four-day stand-off had, which had left 67 people, including the four attackers, dead.
The militant Al-Shabaab group had claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was a reprisal for the deployment of Kenyan troops in Somalia.
Eight Somalis are currently standing separate trials in Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa on charges related to the Westgate attack.
-More security-
Christine Masingila, a mother of two who had survived the attack, finds it difficult to come to terms with the tragedy.
"It is a sad day, very sad day indeed," she told AA tearfully.
Clara Mwilitsa, a 24-year-old survivor, agrees.
"That was a simple yet complex attack," she said. "It was sort of ridicules that only four people can come in and do the whole damage.
Mwilitsa wants to take self-defense lessons.
"One thing I would really want to know is self-defense," she told AA. "I have learnt that we should be prepared for anything."
Although Westgate shopping mall is currently undergoing renovation, businesses in the adjoining buildings have long since resumed.
Charles Chege, a taxi driver in his early 30s, remains worried about his safety.
"I don't feel secure because even at this time anything can happen and security-wise it is not okay," he told AA.
"I would like to see the government putting a lot of security, mostly in these big malls, and seeing police patrolling in our area so that we can feel secure because like now we don't see police patrolling," said Chege.
Caleb Okore, a fellow cabbie, agrees that security is still precarious.
"Here in Westgate, we don't have good security," he insisted.
"On our side, we don't have anything to do because we are here every day and every time," Okore told AA.
Safina Mwandawiro, a 35-year-old housewife, grows tears every time she remembers the Westgate attack.
"That day came with the devil," she told AA. "We would not to see such a day in our lifetime."
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