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Never again, Raila assures Kenyans on anniversary of embassy bombing
Diana Mwangi places a wreath of flowers during the 10th Memorial event at the Bomb Blast Memorial Park in Nairobi. She was only seven years old when her mother, who was trapped for the longest time in the rubble, died in the blast. Some two hundred and fifty people died in the August 7th, 1998 terror attack. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI
Posted Thursday, August 7 2008 at 20:09
In Summary
- PM said the government is pursuing vital leads to ensure terrorists are apprehended.
- Kenyan security forces on the spot over failure to arrest the architect of the bombing, Fazul Abdallah
- Mr Odinga said that there would be no arbitrary persecution of Muslims
- Government had not taken the compensation of the survivors seriously due to “the short-lived unity of politicians."
The government has assured Kenyans of increased surveillance and vigilance in the country to combat terrorism.
Speaking on Thursday at the memorial of the 1998 bomb explosion, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the government is pursuing vital leads to ensure terrorists are apprehended.
“Let me assure Kenyans that this government will do everything possible to prevent us from ever again being attacked,” the PM said.
The remarks come at a time when the Kenyan security forces are on the spot over failure to arrest the architect of the bombing, Fazul Abdallah, earlier this week in Mombasa.
At Thursday’s event, Internal Security minister George Saitoti said stringent measures had been put in place measures to pre-empt future attacks.
“We have a 24-hour surveillance on our borders to ensure that similar strategies do not occur,” Prof Saitoti said.
The 10th anniversary of the August 7, 1998 bomb blast was marked at the Memorial Park in Nairobi.
A sombre mood prevailed as family and friends of those who perished braved the hot sun to mark the day.
However, unlike previous anniversaries, the minute-long silence at 10.15am - the approximate time when the blast occurred - was not observed this time round.
Some of the survivors blamed it on the late arrival of the dignitaries. Prof Saitoti was the first to arrive at 10.25am, followed by the PM fifteen minutes later.
Mr Odinga said that there would be no arbitrary persecution of Muslims since doing so “would generate the very disaffection and extremism on which terror thrives.”
“It would be sheer madness to target it (Islam), or its followers. Our sole target is terrorists,” he said.
Ms Naomi Kerongo, who is leading some survivors to claim compensation, put the agenda on the table.
She said that despite President Kibaki having met with President George Bush, nothing tangible had come on the victims of the tragedy.
But Mr Odinga said that the matter was beyond President Kibaki’s grasp, since the motion had been shot down twice by the US Congress.
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