NAIROBI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Tuesday called on citizens to unite and help each other as the country prepares to commemorate the first anniversary of Westgate terror attack.
By launching a memorial exhibition ahead of Sept. 21, Kenyatta said in Nairobi that Kenya was scarred but shall never be broken down by the incident.
"As a country, we stand in solidarity with the survivors and victims of the terror attack. We will never be cowed by such acts of cowardice," Kenyatta told the gathering. "Thank you all those who have found time to gather here as we remember the families who lost their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, children, relatives and friends just five days from today last year," she said.
The exhibition, which will last for two months, showcases twenty stories and portraits of the attack survivors and those closely involved. It also includes photographs, cartoons as well as documentaries about the attack.
The Westgate shopping mall terror attack on September 21, 2013 left 67 people dead, and Somali militant group, the Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The memorial event took place amid heightened security following intelligence indicating the possible attack by the extremists group.
Westgate Mall, which is undergoing renovation, is a popular shopping center with the diplomatic community, Kenyans and foreign visitors in downtown Nairobi. It is a multi-storey building with a basement and rooftop parking that also housed the mainstream department stores, banks, electronic shops, coffee shops, movie theatre and amusement areas.
