After nearly three decades of legal wrangling, the Milimani High Court has delivered a landmark judgement in the long-running compensation case arising from the 1998 United States Embassy bombing in Nairobi.
Survivors of the blast and families of the victims gathered at the High Court in Nairobi on Wednesday morning, their faces marked by decades of waiting and hope for justice. The bombing, which occurred on August 7, 1998, claimed the lives of more than 200 people and left thousands injured, becoming one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kenya’s history.
The case has been pursued by a group of victims and their representatives, who argued that Kenyan state agencies failed in their duty to act on credible intelligence that could have prevented the attack. They have sought compensation for the emotional, physical, and economic harm they have endured over the years.
Inside the courtroom, petitioners wore T-shirts calling for accountability and recognition of their suffering as they awaited the judge’s decision. It was a moment many described as a long overdue reckoning after years of legal delays.
The judgement was originally scheduled to be delivered months earlier, but was postponed due to the extensive nature of the case file and the complexity of issues involved. The High Court ultimately set a new date in January 2026, drawing attention and anticipation from both victims and civil rights advocates.
As the court announced its decision on Wednesday, there was a mixture of emotion in the courtroom—relief for some, and reflection for others marking what many hope will be closure to a painful chapter in Kenya’s history.