OMWENGA: Matiang’i as president will get payout for victims of US Embassy bombing

Former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i / FILE 

On August 7, we mark 27 years since the 1998 bombing of the United States Embassy in Nairobi, a devastating terrorist attack that killed 213 Kenyans and injured about 5,000 more. A lawsuit in the US for compensation was filed by 351 victims.

Many victims within 1,000 feet of the blast were permanently blinded by shattered glass and debris. This was a horrendous, evil act that a US magistrate described as “…one of the most grotesque and depraved acts imaginable”.

The embassy shared a parking lot with several other buildings, including the Cooperative Bank and Ufundi House. Additionally, the US Embassy had an underground garage that included a delivery dock.

The parking situation was a constant worry to all as it was a huge vulnerability. The garage entrance was protected by a manual drop arm, secured with a padlock and local guards controlled the security feature.

Due to worries about vulnerability, the city authorised the bank to instal a second drop arm at the entrance gate of the shared parking lot. On the morning of August 7, workers were there preparing to instal the new drop arm.

This was the scene when the suicide attackers drove their pickup truck into the parking lot. The driver and passengers insisted that they had a special delivery for the embassy loading dock. Indeed, they did: hundreds of pounds of explosives.

When the guards refused to allow them in, as they were trained to do since the truck was not authorised to enter, the attackers began shooting and threw a grenade. The drop arm remained locked with its padlock as the guards dove and ran for cover. The frustrated terrorists then triggered the bomb in the rear parking lot instead of beneath the embassy as planned.

Had the terrorists managed to get past the locked gate, the devastation would have been even worse. The terrorists’ intention was to level the entire building but, thank God, the gate guards who refused to let them in prevented them.

What is hard to believe is more than 27 years later, the victims of the bomb blast have yet to be compensated. These victims have waited all these decades but for one reason or another, including the alleged involvement of government cartels to frustrate victim’s efforts by demanding part of the billions meant for victims. 

Meanwhile, on July 21 this year, in keeping with his determination to provide fresh, new and effective leadership in all facets of governance, Fred Matiang’i met the legal team in Washington, D.C. It had secured $60 billion in judgments against al Qaeda to 351 Kenyan victims. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and find ways to ensure that all victims of the terrorist attack are finally compensated.

Although there have been efforts to include the Kenyan victims in the US Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund through budget-neutral legislation, progress has been dismal. An ad hoc Kenyan Senate committee was established to advance this cause, but it has so far made limited progress in effectively engaging with US counterparts.

By engaging the victims’ lawyers in the US, Matiang’i has shown just one example of the many things the government of President William Ruto has paid no attention to, or simply has failed to do the necessary to address the issues.

This caring for the victims of the terrorist attack and demanding action from the government also gives us a peek into what the administration of the former Interior CS would be like were Kenyans to elect him as president in 2027.

From both his private discussions and public speeches, one can tell Matiang’i has a clear vision of what he wants to do, not just pandering to the voters, as do most politicians, starting from the top down. Rather, he means what he says and does what he means.

This is one of many qualities that set him apart from everyone else seeking the presidency and it will help propel him to high office. Others are his no-nonsense-let’s-get-things-done management style.

We know what ails the country; Matiang’i is the solution.