Who killed my faithful? And why? Likoni pastor asks police

Worshippers in a thanksgiving service at the Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni, Mombasa, on March 26, 2017. Some faithful left the church after a terrorist attack in March 2014. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

The head of a Likoni church attacked by suspected terrorists in 2014, killing six worshipers and leaving dozens injured, is yet to know who the attackers were, three years later.

Pastor Willis Omondi of Joy in Jesus Church wants the government to reveal the findings of the investigation that followed the deadly attack.

SHOOTING

On Sunday, March 23, 2014, gunmen with faces covered in balaclavas, stormed the church at 10.30am as the faithful worshipped.

One entered through the back door and started shooting indiscriminately while two others, armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol, waited outside and shot fleeing worshippers.

Pastor Willis Omondi leads a service at Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni, Mombasa, on March 26, 2017. He once preached to empty benches, he says. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

On March 23, the church marked the third anniversary of the bloodbath that saw 29 other worshippers injured followed by a thanksgiving service on Sunday.

Pastor Omondi says although they have forgiven the attackers, top security chiefs should tell the worshippers, especially the survivors, what they unearthed.

BLOOD

When the attackers left, blood was splattered on the wall and benches, and bodies and survivors playing dead were strewn all over the floor.

Among those who were killed was Veronica Osinya, who was worshipping with her two sons Satrine and Gift.

She died while shielding her youngest son Satrine from the bullet.

However, the bullet that killed her was lodged in Satrine’s head.

AIRLIFTED

Satrine was later airlifted to Nairobi, where a team of specialist doctors removed the bullet in an operation that saw the entire nation hold its breath in prayer for the baby’s survival.

The pastor says the attack negatively affected his church as he is left with only 27 worshippers against 350 who used to congregate there.

Worshippers at Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni are yet to be told who attacked the church in March 2014. Some of them left the church after the attack. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“I would wish to see the report," he says.

"Many people believed we wouldn’t worship here again. They thought it was the end of us but the healing process is ongoing,"

There was a time, he says, he was deserted by the faithful but it never broke his spirit as he soldiered on.

5 SURVIVORS

“I was left alone, my own wife was also scared of coming to worship,” he recalls.

“I used to preach to the seats but it never broke my spirit. With time they started coming. It is God who knows what happened.”

Five survivors of the attack, he says, still need medical assistance and urges well-wishers to help them.

Worshipers in a thanksgiving service at Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni, Mombasa, on March 26, 2017. Some are yet to recover from the 2014 terrorist attack. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

“Some still need operation. We came to thank God because of how far he has brought us. About 15 people did not turn up today,” he says as he preaches to 12 faithful.

He says they will continue worshipping and glorifying God for taking them through trying times.

ADOPTED

The two Osinyas were later adopted by Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko.

Senator Sonko won many hearts when he adopted the two children who, hopefully, will live to tell the story.

“Life has never been the same again to these two kids as they have become a very big blessing to me and my family,” Sonko says in a Facebook post to commemorate the day of the attack.

“We really thank God for making them be part of my family.”

After the attack, four police officers nowadays stand guard as the faithful worship. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

Gift, the senator says, scored an A-plain in his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and is currently in Form One at Lenana High School.

OPEN FIRE

“It is [the] third anniversary since the suspected Al-Shabab militiamen opened fire and killed six women at the church. Besides the deaths seven others were injured and are now in dire need of reconstructive surgeries,” says Sonko.

The families that live next to the church in Likoni say they are still traumatised by the attack.

“It seems like yesterday, it is sad,” says Martha Nguzo, who lives nearby.

“But we thank God for everything. May Kenya never experience a repeat of the ordeal.”