Kenyan victims of the 1998 bomb attack on American embassy in Nairobi could soon receive compensation from the US.
On Tuesday, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan hinted at plans by the government to pay those affected by the bombing that left more than 200 people dead and hundreds of others injured.
Speaking during a commemoration at the State Department, Sullivan noted a point made to him by Prudence Bushnell, who was the US top envoy to Kenya at the time of the attack.
“Ambassador Bushnell has impressed upon me the need…to continue to work to make sure that the United States government not only remembers, but does all that it needs to, to make everyone impacted by those events to be made whole – to be respected and made whole.”
Advocates of Kenyans affected by the terror attack have argued that the US should make reparations as it had failed to protect the embassy from the terrorists. Ms Bushnell has always maintained that Kenyan citizens affected by the bombing are entitled to compensation for injuries and losses suffered.
Although Sullivan did not categorically pledge compensation for Kenyans harmed by the attack, his “made whole” remark is widely understood to mean payment of damages in the US.
Last week, Phillip Musolino, one of the lawyers representing 538 Kenyans affected by the attack said they will continue pushing the US to pay the victims.
