When I was young, my mother once told me about a tragedy that occurred at the old Kilifi Ferry crossing before the construction of the Kilifi Bridge in 1991. A ferry carrying passengers capsized in the waters of Kilifi Creek, claiming many innocent lives. Families lost loved ones within minutes. Mothers lost children. Children lost parents. To this day, my mother still remembers the pain and fear that surrounded that incident. Some tragedies may fade from the headlines, but they never leave the hearts of those who witnessed them.
As I grew older, I came to realize that Kenya is a country that has known both beauty and unbearable sorrow. There are incidents that shook the nation so deeply that even years later, mentioning them still reopens wounds.
One of the earliest tragedies many Kenyans still remember is the horrific Sabaki River bus accident near Malindi. Two buses collided and plunged into the swollen Sabaki River, leading to the deaths of many passengers. Families waiting for loved ones never saw them again. Rescue efforts were heartbreaking as bodies were retrieved from the river while survivors screamed in shock and pain. For many coastal families, the Sabaki tragedy remains one of the most painful road accidents ever witnessed in Kenya. The thought of passengers trapped inside buses sinking into deep waters is something the country never truly forgot.
I remember the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi. For days, the entire country watched in horror as terrorists from Al-Shabaab stormed the mall, killing innocent Kenyans and foreigners. It felt unreal — like watching a terrifying movie unfold live on television. Families were trapped inside. Some hid under tables and inside shops, praying for survival. Others never made it out alive. The images, the screams, the confusion, and the bravery of those who risked their lives to save others remain permanently etched in our memories.
Then came the Garissa University attack on 2nd April 2015 — one of the darkest days in Kenya’s history. Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the university at dawn and turned a place of learning into a scene of unimaginable horror. Young students who had dreams, ambitions, and bright futures ahead of them were hunted down mercilessly. Survivors later narrated how they heard gunshots echo through the dormitories as terrified students ran for safety. Some hid in wardrobes and bathrooms for hours, listening to screams and prayers around them. By the end of the siege, 148 people had lost their lives, most of them students.
Parents who had struggled to educate their children received the most devastating phone calls of their lives. Some travelled to Garissa with hope, only to return carrying bodies. Kenya cried together. Churches, mosques, schools, and homes fell silent in mourning. It was a tragedy that left an entire generation traumatized.
Another heartbreaking tragedy that touched the nation was the Likoni Ferry disaster in Mombasa in September 2019. A vehicle slid off the MV Harambee ferry into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean. Inside the car were Mariam Kigenda and her four-year-old daughter, Amanda Mutheu. Kenyans watched helplessly as rescue operations continued for days. The thought that a mother and her child spent their final moments together beneath the dark waters broke the hearts of millions. The image of that tragedy remains one of the saddest memories many Kenyans still carry today.
We also remember the plane crash that claimed
the life of Professor George Saitoti in June 2012. Kenya lost not only a senior government official, but also a leader many believed still had so much to offer the country. The suddenness of his death shocked the nation. One moment he was alive, serving his country, and the next, he was gone.
Today, yet another tragedy has struck the nation. The fire at Utumishi Girls has plunged the country into mourning. Young girls who left home to pursue education and build their futures have lost their lives in the most painful way. Reports indicate that 16 students have lost their lives, others are fighting for survival, and several students have been detained following allegations of arson. Behind every number is a child whose parents had dreams for them. Behind every life lost is a family now drowning in grief.
There are tragedies that affect only those directly involved. But there are also tragedies that make an entire country mourn together. Incidents so painful that even strangers feel connected by grief. Moments that leave permanent scars in our minds and hearts. Moments we will probably one day narrate to our own children, just as our parents narrated theirs to us.
Because tragedy has a way of freezing time.
You remember where you were when you heard the news.
You remember the silence that followed.
You remember the pain, even when the victims were people you never knew personally.
Today, Kenya mourns again.
May God grant strength and comfort to the parents, families, and friends who have lost their children in the Utumishi Girls fire tragedy. And may justice prevail for every life that was lost too soon.
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