Kamene Goro Reveals Life Changing Situation That Led To An End Of Her Law Career
Media personality Kamene Goro has revealed how the tragic death of her former boss, Peter Ldhituachi Simani, during the Westgate Mall terror attack in Nairobi, profoundly changed her life and led her to abandon her law career.
Speaking during an interview with the Mic Cheque Podcast on Monday, November 3, 2025, Kamene recalled working under Simani, a CCK Board Director, describing him as a disciplined and no-nonsense leader who demanded punctuality and excellence from his staff.
She recounted her daily routine at the office, noting the strict working hours and the sense of structure and responsibility that defined her early professional life.
“I used to work for the late Peter Simani, a very amazing guy. He passed away at Westgate, and I think that’s where my feelings about law just changed. We used to work from Monday to Friday, and he was a no-nonsense boss. If you were coming to his office, you had to come on time at six; if you were late, you would rather go back home. It was great, and I worked there for some time,” she said.
Goro recalled that on the Saturday of the attack, she had taken her mother shopping and had planned to attend the Rugby Sevens afterwards. The ordinary plans of the day were suddenly shattered as news of the Westgate siege broke.
She described the chaos and confusion, listening on the radio as initial reports alternated between a bank robbery and a terror attack, before it became clear that the situation was far graver.
“On Saturdays, we were off, and I used to take my mum shopping. I remember that day, there was the Rugby Sevens, and I had planned to attend, I even had a jersey. I planned to take my mum home first, then go to the event, but the traffic was terrible. We were listening to the radio in the car and heard them reporting on the Westgate incident. At first, they said it was a bank robbery, then they suggested it might not be,” Kamene recalled.
The media personality said that on the following day, she and a colleague were called to the hospital due to her O-negative blood type, which was needed for the victims.
She recalled learning that her former boss, Simani, had been among those killed.
The revelation, she noted, left a lasting impact and was the moment she decided to step away from practising law permanently. She lamented that after Simani’s burial, she never returned to the legal profession and instead returned to studying.
“On Sunday, I and another office admin were called and told that a body needed to be identified. I am on the donor list for blood because I am O-negative, so people like us often receive calls from hospitals in such cases. Simani, our boss, was friends with my dad, so after donating, I came back home and told my dad. We had both received strange calls as Lenana School alumni. It was later confirmed that it was Simani who had died. After his burial, that was my last day in a law firm. It was also the last time I ever tried practising law, and I went back to studying.”
The Westgate Mall attack, which occurred on September 21, 2013, saw four masked gunmen from the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab storm the upmarket mall in Nairobi, resulting in the deaths of 71 people, including 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers, and the four attackers.
Approximately 200 others were injured, and part of the mall collapsed following a fire that broke out during the siege.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, framing it as retribution for Kenya’s military deployment in Somalia following Operation Linda Nchi.
