Thousands of Kenyan victims of the 7th August, 1998 bombing of the US embassy will not receive any compensation from the US government for the atrocity. This is after a US court awarded about $907 million to Tanzanian and American victims of the twin bombings, leaving out thousands of the Kenyan victims.

The damages awarded by Washington Judge John Bates were based on formulas that included Sh255 million for emotional injuries, Sh425 million for severe physical injuries, and Sh595 million or more for those blinded and made quadriplegics.

The 1998 Bomb Blast Victims Association Chairman George Ngige who had sued the US Government in order to have the over 5,000 Kenyan victims of the attack compensated, has now appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene.

224 DIED, OVER 4,650 INJURED

More than 224 people died including 12 US citizens and approximately 4,650 others were wounded during the August 1998 simultaneous attacks on embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that were carried out by Al Qaeda-linked terrorists.

In October last year, the Kenyan victims petitioned Parliament to take appropriate measures that will lead to their compensation through Nairobi County Women Representative Rachael Shebesh.

According to the victims, the medical and educational support which had been extended to them by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) following the terror attack was abruptly stopped in 2002 and they have never henceforth received any assistance from either the Kenyan or US governments.

COMPENSATION CLAIMS UNFAIR

In 2001, US authorities termed the compensation claims by victims of the Kenyan bomb blast in August 1998 unfair arguing that the massive destruction and loss of lives should be blamed on terror merchant Osama bin Laden.

The then counselor for public affairs at the embassy, Mr Hart, maintained that the Sh3.4 billion his government donated to Kenyans following the Nairobi bombing was simply out of humanitarian compassion.

However, the recent turn of events that has seen the neighbouring Tanzania get compensated for the same atrocity while leaving Kenya out is bound to spark another round of outrage from the Kenyan bomb victims and their families, who have since had lodged Sh400 billion compensation from the US government.