Afetsi Awoonor, son of Prof. Kofi Awoonor, immediate past chairman of Ghana's Council of State, has narrated his near-death encounter with terrorists at the Westgate Shopping Mall.

The unfortunate terrorist attack at the second largest shopping mall in Nairobi claimed the life of his 78-year-old father who was a poet, lecturer, politician, diplomat and statesman on September 21, 2013.

Afetsi Awoonor told BBC's Komla Dumor that they had gone to the mall on that fateful day for lunch when the attack which last days started.

He recalled that the moment they alighted from the vehicle, they heard gun shots with people running helter-skelter for safety.

Fearing for his life, he said, he decided to "run for cover" and in the process lost communication and contact with the father who had then entered the mall.

Afetsi Awoonor confirmed that he was shot in the back while running away from the tragic scene but managed to "crawl" to a hideout.

According to him, the numerous tributes to his father that have been pouring in have been "helpful", adding that "my family and I appreciate" them.

Professor Kofi Awoonor’s body will be flown from Nairobi to Ghana tomorrow, Wednesday.

The former chairman of the Council of State was in Kenya to take part in the literary festival, Story Moja Hay Festival, when he was killed.