Football enthusiast, James Oduor who died during the Riverside attack was to celebrate his birthday today
The media fraternity is mourning the death of sports journalist James Oduor who is among those who have been confirmed dead following yesterday’s terror attack at 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi.
According to reports, he was among the LG staff that held a meeting with the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya officials at the company’s offices yesterday, shortly before the terror attack.
James first tweet read: “What’s happening at 14 Riverside man. We’re trapped in our buildings?”
This tweet was followed by another one describing what was happening.
He wrote, “Gunshots and non-stop explosions.”
And finally, his last tweet before he meet his untimely death was a question:
“Waaaah. What’s happening at 14 Riverside fam? Any news from out there?”
James rans an online football television – Wadau TV.
Confirming the demise, his close friend and SJAK vice-president James Magayi said:
“We went there (LG offices) to have a meeting to plan about our awards and CSR activities. He (Oduor) is the last person I spoke to and we made some banter about his beard; I remember telling him that he needed to trim them…it is a sad morning and painful that bhe is no more,” mourned Magayi.
Magayi added: “Their offices were evacuated at about 6.30pm yesterday. They did a head count and Edu (James Oduor) and some three of his colleagues were missing…One of the evacuates described in detail one of the bodies and from the description I knew straight away that it was Edu. The police confirmed the death early today and his family has been alerted.”
James ’s body has been moved to Chiromo Mortuary.
FKF president, Nick Mwendwa, mourned Oduor as a man whose spirit will live on in football.
Fare thee well my friend. Your good spirit will live on in football. You did your part. We shall do ours and remember you. He posted on his twitter feed.Fare thee well my friend. Your good spirit will live on in football. You did your part. We shall do ours and remember you.
— Nick Mwendwa (@Nmwendwa)
His plans for 2019 were encapsulated in his Instagram post that read.
“Thought for the new year. Don’t choose which ground to play on. Embrace the dust, the mud, the grass even the Astro-Turf. Let’s play 2019. #UleMtotoWaKariokor#WatuHawafraii.”
Meanwhile, NTV reporter Silas Apollo was also among hundreds trapped in Dusit D2 Hotel. Apollo was in the company of his cameraman Dickson Onyango as he went to conduct an interview one of the members of the Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA).
CRA offices are situated at Grosvenor Suite in Riverside, Nairobi.
When the terrorists struck at 3pm, the reporter was still in the building and with the other people caught up in the attack.
They crammed up in the toilet on the second floor, awaiting rescue.
In a WhatsApp group, the journalist detailed the gruelling ordeal.
“They have been combing the building and shooting aimlessly. It’s too scary to imagine. I’m inside the building, which is under attack. It’s real guys. Had gone to interview CRA guys, I’m too scared for my life,” he texted.
Adding, “It’s silent now, though we can hear somebody trying to break the doors. We don’t know where the attackers are and what they are up to. We are crammed inside the toilet with a number of guys. I’m very scared.”
They were later rescued by security personnel dispatched to secure the building.