Caroline Muthoka
Caroline Muthoka and Lucky Baraka survived the August 7, 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi Kenya. Throughout this ordeal they felt the mighty hand of God in control of their lives and that they were saved from death, was miraculous.
Caroline was working on the 19th floor of the Co-Operative building when the tragedy happened. The Co-Operative Building was adjacent to the then US Embassy building that was joined to the demolished Ufundi Co-Operative building which collapsed during the bombing.
Having suffered injuries, she used her blouse to cover her eye that was bleeding profusely, she clutched on the railing and made her way down the stairs, sometimes, stepping over dead bodies. Hearing many of the injured screaming for help in different languages, others screaming “fire, fire” while throwing themselves out of the broken windows, Caroline prayed and held tightly to the stairway railings and made her way out of the building and found her way to the hospital by foot because there were no ambulances.
At the hospital, she was stitched without gloves and, worse still, without anaesthesia. An ultra sound scan determined that she had a blood clot in her uterus. After being on bed rest for 2 months, Lucky Baraka was born on October 7, 1998. Lucky required weekly occupational therapy for a year due to weaknesses of his limbs.
Caroline, though scared and in constant pain, has been able, by the grace of God, to live her life to the fullest. After the lengthy medical treatment and birth of her son Baraka, Caroline was able to start working as a peer counselor. She joined Kenya Professional Institute for Counseling and later, Neema Counseling and Training Center in Kenya.
Eventually Caroline moved to the US for further treatment. While in the US, she joined Scope Ministries International, where she underwent further counseling. She later on volunteered with the Oklahoma Memorial Park and the American Red Cross Chapter in Oklahoma as a Disaster Management Action Team member.
Caroline continues to work as a counselor and motivational speaker for churches, schools and other organizations. She is the president and founding board member of Baraka Care International, a foundation born out of this painful experience.
Out of this experience, Caroline came to realize that, had she and other Kenyans been trained in disaster management, fewer people could have been injured or killed and had there been enough trained professionals in an emergency situations, more victims could have made it to the hospital and not have lose their lives.
Caroline resides in the United states with her family. She is a Survivor Saved to Serve.
