US top diplomat John Kerry visits 1998 bomb blast site in Nairobi ahead of Obama VISIT

US Secretary of State John Kerry Monday consoled the survivors of the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi.

Speaking at the August 7th Memorial Park in Nairobi, Mr Kerry, who arrived in Kenya from Sri Lanka on Sunday, said the terrorists who attacked the embassy in 1998 “lost utterly.”

“Let me be clear: the terrorists who struck on August 7th 1998 failed utterly in their purpose,” he said.

He said the aim of the terrorists was to instil fear in the hearts of Kenyans.

“We do not have the power to reverse the fact that people lost their lives, but we have the power to fight back,” said Mr Kerry.

He talked with some of the survivors of the bombing which claimed the lives of 213 Kenyans and 10 US nationals. Another 4000 people were injured in the blast.

“I have no words to express the sorrow for the lives lost.

“It is with deep sadness that I lay a wreath dedicated to the many Kenyans and Americans who perished,” Mr Kerry told the survivors.

He called for minified efforts in fighting acts of terrorism.