Alc Pan-african Radio

On the day of the attack, Abdul Haji, a Nairobi based businessman received a distress message from his brother saying that he was at Westgate Mall where what he described as a terror attack was underway. Abdul drove to Westgate mall intending to try save his brother. At the mall, Abdul found a group of licensed civilian gun holders and police officers involved in rescue efforts. Armed with just a single handgun and a clip full of ammunition, he provided cover to the Kenya Red Cross personnel rescuing the wounded as he looked for his brother. Effective government response during the crisis was affected by poor communication and coordination by government agencies, inadequate special forces personnel and equipment, round the clock media coverage where unverified information was shared and al Shabaab’s use of social media to sneer Kenyans and threaten more violence. As such, people who put their lives on the line to rescue victims were regarded as heroes. Leadership is the process through which individuals or