CS Mutua Pledges to Step up Efforts for Compensation of 1998 Bomb Blast Victims

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has promised to increase diplomatic efforts to ensure that the victims of the 1998 bomb blast receive compensation.

Mutua appeared before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Wednesday and admitted that the compensation for Kenyan victims has been delayed for too long. He described the meeting as emotional as the victims shared the aftermaths of the bombing and their hardships with health complications The Senate Ad Hoc Committee chaired by Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu has been established to address the issue of compensation for the victims of the 1998 US embassy terrorist attack in Nairobi.

The terrorist attack resulted in the deaths of 213 Kenyans and 12 Americans, leaving around 5,000 people injured. The victims and their families are pushing for the matter to be resolved. Although their US counterparts have been compensated significantly, the families of the victims lament that they have not yet been compensated.

Meanwhile, a lobby group representing Kenyan victims and survivors of the terrorist attack is calling on President William Ruto to assist them in getting justice. The group claims that they have been left to suffer on their own and are struggling with the costly medical treatment required for their injuries. They convey that many survivors still have glass particles in their bodies and must rely on medication to survive. The group has reached out to the Senate to investigate ways in which the US government can be convinced to amend its laws to allow for compensation to the Kenyan victims and survivors.

“The consortium has reached out to the senate through Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu. They are expected to investigate ways in which the USA government can be moved to amend its laws to allow for eligibility of compensation to the Kenyan victims and survivors,” the lobby's chairperson Caroline Muthoka revealed.