The nation is still mourning the death of nearly 200 students at Garissa University College last week. The official number has stood at 148 since Friday, but those in the know claim the ‘clean up’ exercise led to the discovery of more bodies.
One of the terrorists killed in the exercise was one Mohammed Abdirahim Abdullahi, a 24 year old former University of Nairobi law student who was reported missing last year.
His father, Abdullahi Daqare, is the chief of Bulla Jamhuri location in Mandera County.
Abdirahim was a very bright student, having studied at Wamy Secondary School in Nairobi and got an A- in KCSE.
His campus friends described the shock at the discovery, saying he was the last person they could suspect. Abdirahim was always cheerful and smartly dressed.
He had a room on campus, but rarely stayed there instead preferring to operate from Eastleigh, where he reportedly ran a cooking gas business. Classmates believed this was the reason he seemingly had more money than them.
Mr Dedan Wachira, who played pool with him often at Parklands told Nation: “I asked him once, and I don’t know whether he was joking or lying, but he told me his suits cost Sh16,000. They looked like they cost that much. He actually introduced me to my first tailor.”
When Abdirahim left home last year, it was generally known that he had gone to join Al Shabaab. According to independent journalist Yassin Juma, he wanted to join ISIS but had no passport.
Yassin Juma continues to add that one of Abdirahim’s classmate at Wamy Secondary School, known as Mohamed but nicknamed Atom, managed to fly to Turkey and is assumed to have crossed into Syria to join Isis.
Both Atom and Adbirahim did not complete their degrees.
Here are some pictures of Abdirahim Abdullahi.