MOMENTS BEFORE THE BLASTS WENT OFF

The atmosphere at Uhuru Park on Sunday was electric, the prayers fervent, the singing ecstatic, and the crowd perhaps the largest the ‘No’ campaign has ever mustered.

It had been headlined as a two-million man meeting and although that number was not present, it was certainly a satisfying crowd for the convenors.

But six of these did not go back home alive, and at least 75 would spend the rest of the evening at the Kenyatta National Hospital, four so badly hurt that they required emergency surgery.

Mr Stanley Gitahi, 27, and his wife Felista Wambui told the Nation at the hospital that they had travelled from Kitengela to attend the prayer rally.

Prayers for the sick

They were seated near the front and stayed on as the meeting dragged past 6 pm. At the time, head of Neno Evangelism Centre James Maina Ng’ang’a asked to be handed a guitar to begin the last phase with a song.

The clerics had also used the rally to offer prayers for the sick as well as to convert and lead to God those who wished to make a change in their lives.

At about 6.45 pm, said Mr Gitahi, there was a small explosion at the back of the crowd. Mr Ng’ang’a thought it was probably a bulb on one of the street lamps. People were asked to come closer to the dais, where prayers for the sick continued.

The second explosion was more powerful, hitting Mr Gitahi in the chest. He suffered two cuts, while his wife sustained slight injuries to the hand.

Ms Rose Anyiso, a 17-year-old househelp from Ngando in Dagoretti who attends the Neno Evangelism Centre, sustained serious injuries after she was hit on the cheek and hand.

A frantic Peris Awuor could not hold back tears at the Accident and Emergency Centre at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

The 45-year-old trader from Lunga Lunga in Nairobi had lost sight of her children, Victor Aswani, 8, and Catherine Odinga, 4, who disappeared when the second blast went off.

She had been asked to look for them at the Central police station and at Uhuru Park, but could not trace them. Ms Awuor, who was slightly injured on the hip, said she would seek treatment after finding her children.

In the melee at Kenyatta Hospital that marked the first hour after the blast, the Nation also spoke to other survivors.

Ms Rosalia Mwende from Deliverance Church in Githurai recalled the first explosion that sounded like a gunshot and the crowd was asked to ignore it.

Another victim, Mr Fred Momanyi, was groaning in pain on the floor with his hands in bandages. So helpless was he that he could not answer his mobile phone which kept ringing in his jeans pocket.

It was a different tale from relatives, some who were called to the hospital by good Samaritans. Mr Antony Kamau said he was called by an usher from the Neno Evangelism Centre, who identified himself as Sammy.

His brother Michael Njoroge had dropped his phone in the scramble and Sammy had called Mr Kamau. “Something has happened to your brother,” was all he said.

Later, Mr Kamau was desperate to see his brother after yet another caller said Mr Njoroge was badly injured.