Families wait for news of their loved ones at 14 Riverside Drive Complex in Nairobi on January 16, 2019. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO
Tenants at the 14 Riverside office complex in Nairobi can now access the premises after police yesterday granted access to the scene of last week’s terrorist attack.
Car owners who abandoned their vehicles during the attack have also been allowed to collect them.
Police spokesperson Charles Owino said the complex had been cleared of hazardous materials.
“The tenants can access their premises at the complex from Tuesday morning,” he said.
On Tuesday last week, five gunmen stormed the complex in a terror attack that killed 21 people.
Approximately 700 people were rescued during the raid, according to the Red Cross.
Nairobi is a major hub for expatriates and the business targeted host offices of various international companies, in an echo of the deadly 2013 assault on a Westgate mall—killing 67 people. According to its website, 14 Riverside is home to local offices of global companies, including Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical and SAP, as well as the dusitD2 hotel, part of Thai group Dusit Thani.
Dusit, which lost four workers in the attack, suspended operations and relocated guests to nearby hotels
In the latest attack, one suicide bomber blew himself up while four others were killed by police.
International companies with regional headquarters in Kenya however say such attacks would not scare them away from Nairobi that has long been East Africa’s business hub.
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