Westgate Shopping Mall (also known as Westgate) is an upscale shopping mall located in the Westlands division of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya. It was first opened in 2007.

Overview

The five-storey mall opened in 2007 and included of retail space and housed more than 90 stores.

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and Planet Media Cinemas anchored the mall. Other large units included Identity, Mr. Price Home, Artcaffe, and

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on the ground floor, and Millionaires Casino on the second floor. Smaller units included outlets for international brands

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, CFC Stanbic Bank, Converse,

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, and

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. The luxury shopping center was popular with Kenya's new consumer class, as well as foreign officials and expatriates.The mall is owner by an Israeli-Kenyan holding company called Sony Holdings headquartered in Tel Aviv.

2013 attack

On 21 September 2013, a group of 4 terrorists associated with the al-Shabaab militant group wounded and killed customers, employees and visitors at the Westgate mall in an extended attack, using firearms and hand grenades. At least 68 people were reportedly killed, with over 200 injured. The terrorists held many customers hostage and it took four days to end the attack. By 25 September, three floors of the mall had collapsed because of it.

Reopening

The mall reopened on 18 July 2015. Parts of the mall which were badly damaged in the terrorist attack underwent further reconstruction and remained closed until 2018. Legal proceedings with the insurer delayed reconstruction. About 90% of previous tenants of Westgate retained their leases, and IRG, an Israeli security company, was hired to train the mall's new security staff. The mall's reopening was met with mixed reactions. Some hailed it as a demonstration of Nairobi's resilience in the face of terrorism, while others criticised it as disrespectful to the victims, suggesting that it should be converted to a memorial site or a place of worship instead.

References

{{Portal bar, Kenya Shopping malls established in 2007 Shopping malls in Nairobi 2007 establishments in Kenya

Overview

2013 attack

Reopening

See also

References