Rachel Gikonyo, a survivor of the 2013 Garissa University Al-Shabaab attack has spoken after the court on Wednesday July 31 awarded her Ksh10 million in compensation.
Gikonyo who now uses a wheelchair expressed her gratitude, noting that the nine year-long struggles in and out of court finally paid off.
“I’m one of the victims of the Garissa University attack. The judgment has been favorable to us. They have promised to award us damages for the injuries. We are so grateful to our lawyers who have done their best to make the case successful,” Gikonyo said.
“The journey has been quite tough, but we didn’t lose hope. We knew that justice would be served.”
While narrating life after the incident, Gikonyo said she managed to complete her studies at Kenyatta University, but she is yet to find a job.
She said the journey has not been easy and further asked the government and employers for a job opportunity.
Gikonyo noted that despite the life-changing incident, she has forgiven the perpetrators who left hundreds of students dead and scored injured after the attack.
“I’ve forgiven those who did this to us,” she said.
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Likewise, while talking to the press, Gikonyo’s mother appealed to the government to protect the welfare of its citizens by addressing concerns raised.
She also advocated for enhanced security to ensure such incidents don’t re-occur
“We pray that when such things arise, the government should take action instead of things going to court, but we shall continue praying for the government so that such incidents should not happen again in Kenya. It’s very devastating,” she said.
How Garissa University Student, Rachel Gikonyo Survived
Rachel Gikonyo, at the time of the attack was a first-year student at Garissa University College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education (Science).
She was rescued by the Kenya Red Cross and AMREF at around noon, over six hours after she was first shot.
Evidence shows that she was admitted for about three months and later underwent six months of rehabilitation for her injuries.
Also Read: Garissa University Attack: High Court Orders Govt to Compensate Families of Killed Students
Justices Mugure Thande, Anthony Ndung’u, and Daniel Kemei considered her deteriorating back injury, which failed to heal properly, when determining her compensation.
As a result of the gunshots, Gikonyo sustained a spinal injury, leading to paralysis of her lower limbs and loss of bladder control.
Meanwhile, the High Court ordered the government to pay over Ksh441 million to families of Garissa University students who were killed terror attack.
Additionally, the three-bench judges directed the state to pay Ksh56.9 million in compensation to the survivors of the terror attack, who endured physical and psychological effects as a result of the devastating event.
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