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Passaris pushes for justice and compensation for 1998 bombing survivors

“While the world moved on, survivors are still living with the consequences—many in suffering."

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by FELIX ASOHA

Nairobi07 August 2025 - 16:50
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In Summary


  • Passaris said many survivors continue to suffer without justice, recognition, or compensation decades after the tragedy.
  • She revealed that they are seeking a direct audience with President William Ruto and relevant government bodies to raise issues ranging from access to education and healthcare to long-term economic support.

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris. /COURTESY


Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris is urging the government to compensate survivors of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi.

The pleadings by Passaris come as the country marked the 27th anniversary of the tragic attack on Thursday.

The bombing on August 7, 1998, killed 218 people, injured over 5,000, and left lasting scars on thousands more.

“While the world moved on, the survivors are still living with the consequences—many in silence, many in suffering,” Passaris told Parliament.

She recounted meeting survivors during the anniversary commemoration: “I listened to Douglas, who lost his sight; Beatrice, who lost her husband; and Macharia, who lost both parents. Their stories are not just heartbreaking—they demand action.”

Passaris said many survivors continue to suffer without justice, recognition, or compensation decades after the tragedy.

She revealed that they are seeking a direct audience with President William Ruto and relevant government bodies to raise issues ranging from access to education and healthcare to long-term economic support.

She called on the Speaker and the House leadership to help facilitate this engagement, saying the survivors deserve justice, dignity, and a place in the nation’s collective memory.

“Government support must go beyond symbolic gestures; it must be structured, sustained, and dignified,” she said.

The 1998 bombing was orchestrated by the al-Qaeda terror network, which simultaneously attacked the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In Nairobi, a truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy building, devastating nearby offices and streets. Most of the victims were Kenyan civilians.

Despite the magnitude of the attack, many survivors say they’ve been neglected and excluded from compensation efforts, including a U.S. victims’ fund that largely benefits American citizens.

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