Kilifi, KENYA: A family in Ganze, Kilifi is mourning the death of two brothers who were part of the Kenya Defense Forces soldiers that were killed in the Kulbiyow attack in Somalia.
The two were killed when a Kenyan military camp in Kulbiyow, Lower Jubba, in Somalia some 18 kilometers from the Kenyan border was attacked by Al-Shabab militants last Friday.
On Monday, Mikuluni village in Kauma location in Jaribuni was still trying to come to terms with the death of Kennedy Bakari, 30 and his brother Juma Bakari 38.
Mzee George Samin Bakari, 83, the father of the deceased, said his sons were last at home in December 2016 when they attended a funeral in the village.
He said the deceased were his hopes and their death was too painful for him to bear.
“My sons loved me very much, they were here before the end of last year and Kennedy had promised to finish his brick house,” said Bakari.
Mtaa Bakari, 59, the deceased’s mother, said she received a call from her brother in Mombasa on Saturday evening informing her of the sad news.
She said she had become nervous ever since the news of the attack had hit headlines on Friday afternoon.
“When the news of the attack started to flow, we tried to call his number but it was not going through. I was very disturbed because I knew my sons were based in Somalia,” said Mtaa.
She added that at around 7 pm on Saturday, she received the call that confirmed her worst fears; that her sons were among the casualties.
“My only hope is gone. Juma was my first born and Kennedy 9th born, the only people we depended on in our family. It is sad that they are gone. That is the only thing I can say,” she said in the midst of wailing.
Family spokesman David Kabwanga, said the bodies of the two slain Kenya Army soldiers drawn from the 15 rifle battalion had been identified at the armed forces memorial in Nairobi and the family was only waiting for more details on when they will be allowed to bring the bodies home.
Kabwanga said the fallen soldiers served several times in the war-ton country since joining KDF in 2008.
This comes as another family in Kinarani village in Kaloleni, is also mourning the death of Rajab Baya Kazungu, a KDF soldier who also died in the attack.
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The deceased was only a few days old in his marriage; after tying the knot to Irene Mgae in December 3, 2016.
