Boaz Kemboi would probably be dead were it not for the automated security doors at the 14 Riverside Drive complex.
According to Mr Kemboi, two gunmen tried to gain entry to the third floor premises where he works for a communication company, but were kept out by the automated security doors.
The steel doors are opened by swiping tags.
UPDATE: CCTV footage from cameras located at the #Dusit D2 hotel shows armed attackers accessing the complex. #KenyaAttack pic.twitter.com/PKPaXaiw5E
— Daily Nation (@dailynation) January 16, 2019
“When they reached the door, they tried opening it but they could not. They fired several shots at the door but those are steel doors,” he said.
The gunmen gave up and went to the next floor.
Kemboi said most people had panicked and fled to the upper floors when the gunmen started shooting.
“As we speak, I can tell you that there are many people still trapped in the upper floors. One of my colleagues is among them. We have tried calling his phone but he is not picking.”
According to Kemboi, parking at the building is strictly regulated, which explains why the attackers parked outside the hotel before going inside to buy takeaway coffee.
“We were literally hopping around as we moved out. There were undetonated grenades on the floor,” he said. When darkness fell, police extended the barricades as an armoured vehicle made its way to the hotel followed by several vehicles with diplomatic corps registration numbers. The hotel is frequented by foreigners.
Sporadic gunshots
At 8pm, sporadic gunshots were still being heard from the building.
One of the gunmen was said to have blown himself up immediately when he entered the building as his accomplices opened fire indiscriminately.
Separately, police have been praised for their swift response to the attack.
The first team to respond were officers from the nearby Australian embassy, who engaged the attackers in a gunfight, pushing them into the hotel’s main entrance.
The officers deflated the tyres of the car suspected to have been used by the attackers, stopping it about 40 metres away from the main security barrier to the hotel. The officers called for reinforcement.
Special forces from the General Service Unit’s Recce Squad and the military joined the operation to flush out the attackers. Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua and Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti led the operation.
This eyewitness recounts what happened, when the #KenyaAttack took place. #MorningNewsToday Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/ETC7CgBIyj
— eNCA (@eNCA) January 16, 2019