It was an eventful day set out for Canadian diplomats Robert Munk and his wife, Annemarie Desloges on September 21, 2013.
A movie, takeout, and a romantic evening at home with a bottle of wine would have been the perfect way to spend the day, however, things turned bleak in the blink of an eye for the endearing couple.
Fast forward hours later, Munk would be holding his wife in his arms for the final time.
Recalling the events that happened that day, Munk entailed to Global News how a chance stop at the Westgate mall for a quick bite led to one of the most unfortunate events in his life- the loss of his wife. Both diplomats were stationed at the Canadian embassy in Kenya and had organised a vacation in December that year.
On that fateful day, the couple set off for their romantic getaway. They, however, took a quick stop for lunch at the Westgate shopping mall. For a couthy ambience, they sat outside the patio to relish the serene atmosphere.
Munk noted that at around 12.30 p.m. a Mitsubishi Lancer pulled up in front of the mall's entrance. Four armed men, from the terror group Al Shabaab, conspicuously got out and tossed two grenades at the security booth and a third at the patio.
Due to the explosions, Munk lept across his wife to cover her from the falling rubble. Suddenly, he stated that the gunmen began shooting at the passersby and nearby security guards. Munk and his wife sought safety inside the mall but the gunmen followed closely.
Munk narrated that he could feel the gunshots from a distance as the bullets glanced off the walls and floors of the mall. Annemarie, at the time, informed him that she could not see out of her left eye- a sign that something is wrong.
The diplomat advocated for his wife to stay quiet and play dead. They both lay on the floor as Munk pulled her closer to him to whisper to her ear that he loved her. However, he noticed blood oozing from her lifeless body—she was gone.
"I started thinking of all the good memories we had, the beautiful life we lived and the happiness I had in her and all who mattered to me,” Munk stated.
“Because I did not want these monsters to have the right to take two beautiful lives away with such horror. They did not deserve that right.”
The diplomat noted that he was rescued and taken to an ambulance, having lost the love of his life.
Wishing that he could go back in time to prevent the tragedy, Munk still blames himself for his wife's demise.
“Imagine living your life blaming yourself for the death of your wife. I did not kill her, but I could not save her. I hate myself more than I do the killers!” he expressed his grief.
The 2013 horror saw 68 people lose their lives in the assault. The government later announced that the gunmen had been killed in the melee.
