US Envoy Pledges to Advise on Payout for 1998 Bomb Victims

The newly appointed US Ambassador Margaret ‘Meg’ Whitman yesterday commemorated victims of the August 7, 1998, terrorist attack amid calls to build peace.

In her maiden media address since she arrived in the country for her new role six days ago, Whitman said she is aware there are still some Kenyan victims who are yet to be compensated.

She promised to look into the matter and advise on the way forward in due course.

“I am not aware of the solutions in progress. I am six days on the job so I will get back to you with what my understanding is on the victims if and when they will be compensated,” she said during her maiden press conference in Nairobi.

Whitman led in the 24th anniversary of the 1998 US embassy bombing that claimed more than 200 lives.

The US envoy paid tribute to the 213 Kenyans and Americans who died in the attack, including 44 members of the embassy community.

“Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of August 7, 1998. This morning I visited the Memorial Park to pay my respects to the victims we lost on that tragic day. May peace prevail,” she said.

“There are still 95 people on our mission team, who were working at the time of the attack. I am in awe of their dedication. As I stand in front of the embassy’s memorial to the victims of that terrible day, I am reminded of the obligation to work together to build peace in our communities and a better future for all,” she added.

August 7 brings a reflection of not only the victims but also survivors of the terrorist attack. In May last year, six Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) filed a petition in court seeking compensation.

According to the NGOs, hundreds of Kenyans lost their loved ones while thousands others sustained serious injuries and their lives have never been the same.

They argued that, while the US pursued compensation for its citizens, the Kenyan Government has not been willing to pursue compensation for its citizens leaving them aggrieved.

“While some of the victims including the US Government employees killed or injured in the August 7 attack have been compensated and awarded, we have been excluded from the compensation on grounds that we are neither American citizens, employees or contractors,” the court documents.

International agencies reported that the Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the planners of the 1998 attack, was killed by a US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 31.

US President Joe Biden on Monday said the killing of al-Zawahiri, 71, an Egyptian born surgeon-turned-jihadist, was a long-sought “justice”.

“He will never again allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we are going to make sure that nothing else happens…This terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said.

Al-Zawahiri and Osama Bin Laden were on the US list of “most wanted terrorists” for their roles in the 9/11 attacks.

Agencies also stated that al-Zawahiri was widely portrayed as Al Qaeda’s intellectual spine, who also helped Osama develop from a charismatic preacher into a lethal terrorist with global reach.