[Hold] Senators calls for changes in US laws to allow for compensation of '98 blast victims

A Senate ad hoc committee formed to push for the compensation of Kenyan victims of the 1998 US Embassy bomb blast has called for changes in US laws to allow for additional payment.

The committee, in a report set to be tabled before the Senate for debate, said it will seek an audience with the US Congress on the matter.

The goal, the committee said, will be to compel US senators to pass budget-neutral legislation that will see Kenyan victims of the blast become eligible for compensation.

"We pledge to ensure the continued pursuit of compensation for victims of the 1998 bomb blast by lobbying the US Congress to enact changes in legislation to enable Kenyan victims to access the compensation," the committee said on Monday.

The team led by Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu noted that the US Congress, in 2014, approved a law that establishes a Victims Compensation Fund, which allows victims of terror attacks targeting the US government to be paid.

However, due to the nature of the law and its wording, victims of such attacks who are Kenyan nationals have not been eligible for compensation, the team said.

So far, the fund has compensated victims in other jurisdictions to the tune of $3 billion.

The recommendation is part of a report considered and adopted by the committee on Monday, following months of deliberations with victims of the blast, their lawyers, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations.

The committee also considered submissions from Kituo Cha Sheria, the Kenya Red Cross Society, Amref Health Africa, Adventist Development Relief Agency Kenya, Kenya Society for the Blind, Ernst and Young and Dr Linda Musumba of DLM Advocates, who were involved in emergency and recovery efforts following the attack.

The Senate formed the nine-member committee last July to pursue the compensation, by the US government, of victims of the blast and the families.

The blast, which occurred on August 7, 1998, claimed the lives of at least 213 Kenyans and 12 Americans.

In addition, more than 5,000 citizens of both countries were seriously injured due to the reverberations and collapse of adjacent buildings located within a two to three block radius of the US Embassy.

Some members of the committee on Monday called for more time to allow the team to engage their counterparts and government officials in the US.

"The committee has not managed to secure an appointment with members of the US Congress. We need to seek an extension on the Floor of the House so that we can see this matter through," Senator Johnes Mwaruma, a member of the committee, said.

"Committee operations in the Senate were suspended by the Speaker during the Christmas break, which affected our work. The Senate should consider extending the life of the ad hoc committee so that we lobby with the members of the US Congress," added Senator Beatrice Ogolla.