Ten Year Anniversary of Kenya's "Bomb Blast"

Nairobi

10:40am

Friday, August 7, 1998

First came two explosions, then the mighty sonic boom, the ground shook and the skies over a corner of the city darkened with a mushroom cloud.

As the smoke and dust cleared, tons of paper thrown up by the blast wafted lazily over the city, coming down in slow pirouettes that belied the force of the explosion that had sent them into the sky. August 7^th is a date of horror etched in the collective memory of millions of Kenyans.

The target of the terrorist attack - the US embassy - a stout, solid, fortress in downtown Nairobi, was still standing defiant, but gutted on the inside. Twelve American and 31 other embassy staff, nearly all Kenyans, lost their lives. A total of 213 people were killed.

Adjacent to the embassy building, the taller seven-story Ufundi Cooperative House, not constructed to withstand bomb attacks, had crumbled to the ground. Next to it one of the Nairobi skyline’s landmarks, Cooperative Bank tower, fondly called “the Bellbottom”, also remained standing but it too was gutted with all the windows blown out and the innards destroyed.

Ground Zero, where the embassy and the Ufundi Co-op buildings once stood, has been transformed into a charming little memorial park. It radiates beauty and serenity; a place with park benches and beautiful lawns occupied by those looking for peace and solitude. Some come just to relax and contemplate the skies. Others come to mourn.

But nothing can take away the fact that the island of peace and quiet was born out of terror, the worst terrorist attack recorded in sub-Saharan Africa. A shiny granite memorial etched with the names of all who perished makes for the centerpiece of the park.

Speaking at the 10th anniversary of the August 7, 1998 bombing at the Memorial Park, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the Government will pursue and apprehend suspected terrorists within the country. “Let me assure Kenyans that this Government will do everything possible to prevent us from ever again being attacked.”

The move comes at a time when Kenya security forces are on the trail of Fazul Abdullah, widely regarded as the architect of the Al Qaeda-led Kenya and Tanzania 1998 bombings.

Internal Security minister George Saitoti said the country’s security agents have put in place measures to pre-empt future attacks. “We have 24-hour surveillance on our borders to ensure that similar strategies do not occur.”

The mood was somber for relatives and family of those who perished, as survivors of the explosion expected the Government to speak about their compensation.

Former Trade minister Joseph Kamotho (centre) is escorted by aides out of his office at Cooperative House.

A US marine at the scene of the blast.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga lays a wreath to mark the 10th Anniversary of the August 7, 1998 bombing in Nairobi at the Memorial Park.