By Our Reporter
Nairobi, KENYA – Four years ago, Baby Satrine Osinya was in the safe hands of his mother Veronicah Osinya at the Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni, Mombasa, when hooded gunmen stormed the church and opened fire.
Mr Mike Sonko, a Kenyan politician who currently serves as the second Governor of Nairobi on Friday narrated that the mother moved to shield the baby in her arms but gunmen noticed what she was doing and went straight for her, shooting bullets into her as she protected her youngster from the gruesome act which was later reported to have left up to six people dead.
Because of the close-range velocity of the bullets, one tore through Veronicah’s body into little Satrine’s head and lodged inside his brain.
“The gunmen walked out after their attack, probably bemused by how easy the whole thing had looked, how easy they had rained terror on the church. Inside, on the bloodied floor, Baby Satrine clutched onto the lifeless body of his mother, who had sacrificed her all life to protect him. His brother gift Osinya who was also in the church picked him and rushed with him outside the church crying for help after realising their Mother was no more,” the Governor explained.
His father had no money to take him to the hospital for surgery. The situation was further complicated when it dawned on the family that there was no neurosurgeon in the whole of Mombasa County, their home county.
The father was in deep agony and anguish, and the 18-month old baby was writhing in pain as words of consolation poured in from all over Kenya.
After one day of pain at Mombasa Hospital, Satrine Osinya got help from Mr Mike Sonko who together with the Africa Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), airlifted him to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for treatment.
A team of five neurosurgeons pondered how to dislodge the bullet from his head. The government and well-wishers paid the medical bill.
He won a battle over terrorists and united grief-stricken Kenyans, who according to media reports continue to lose friends and family at the hands of Somali Al-Shabaab terrorists, who were blamed for the Sunday 23rd March 2014 church attack.
Satrine has over the long while flourished and photos shared by the governor of the graduation celebration showed the young survivor having fun moments with the county’s First Lady.
Accoriding to Tuko – Kenya, this land mark achievement comes just two years after Satrine’s brother, Gift, whose courage during the terror attack warmed the hearts of Kenyans, sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and joined Lenana High School.
The devil thought the baby Satrine won’t survive but God healed him and he became part of my family, Governor Sonko commented on Friday.
Adding: “To ashame the same devil who was defeated 2000 years ago, today Baby Satrin has graduated at Runda Oak kindergarten. He joins class one after the vacation. His brother Gift who scored an A in KCPE 2 years ago is now in Form 2 at Lenana High. Look at what GOD is doing to his people.”
