Kenyan survivors commemorate 1998 blast with calls for compensation

Kenyan survivors commemorate 1998 blast with calls for compensation

BY MAXIMILLA WAFULA & PATRICK KIMANZI 

COUNTY NEWS DIARY 

Today  a somber mood engulfed the 25th anniversary service of the twin bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as survivors and families of victims gathered at Nairobi’s August 7th Memorial Park in remembrance of their loved ones.

The Consortium of US Embassy terrorist attack survivors, read out the names of 218 people who lost their lives in the 1998 tragedy, in a sustained push for compensation during an event held on Monday.

The consortium emphasized victims and survivors were not mere numbers but family, neighbors, colleagues and citizens.

Ramona Tascoe, a medical doctor and lobbyist pushing for compensation of all the Kenyan survivors, said she remained confident that all victims will be compensated.

“I will continue to fight for you, that is my solemn promise, and Please find mercy and forgiveness for the Americans who are offering and apology,” she said.

Former envoys Prudence Bushnell, Robert Godec and current ambassador Meg Whitman expressed their solidarity with Kenya in recorded remarks.

The trio shared lessons from the blast and hailed the August 7th Memorial Park as a beacon of hope, and resilience.

Candle lighting

Azimio Coalition leaders Martha Karua (Narc Kenya), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Eugene Wamalwa (DAP Kenya) joined survivors and relatives in lighting candles.

Karua urged the Kenyan and US governments to reach an agreement to resolve the compensation contest once and for all.

“We should look at the issues that are bringing grievances on the nations and how they can be solve for once,” she said.

“The exploitation, discrimination and injustices are among the issues the survivors of the bomb blast are facing even in the international arena and they need to be solved,” Karua added.

Wamalwa stated that the US administration should work with the Kenyan government to combat terrorist acts.

“We urge the Kenya Kwanza government to reconsider the decision of reopening the Kenya-Somalia border,” he said.

At least 213 Kenyans and 12 Americans were killed in the attack orchestrated by the Al Qaeda terrorist group targeting the US embassy.

More than 5,000 people were seriously injured in the bomb blast that greeted Kenya’s Nairobi capital on August 7, 1988.