Peace Memorial Museum

The Peace Memorial Museum was created and designed within the Visitors Centre to honor those who lost their lives during the tragic event on 7th August 1998. It was also developed to tell the stories of those who survived and for those whose lives were changed forever by the 1998 terrorist bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi.

On August 7th 1998, a group of terrorists used a car bomb to blow up the then United States Embassy located at the corner of Moi and Haile Selassie Avenues, causing the deaths of 218 innocent people and injuring thousands of others.

Many of the victims were left with blinding injuries, others were left with only partial sight, caused by the millions of shards of glass that flew from the Embassy and surrounding buildings. So powerful was the explosion that it could be heard as far away as Tigoni and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, while the shock wave was felt all over the city causing many buildings to tremble.

The August 7th Memorial Trust was charged with developing the site into a memorial park not only as a tribute to the victims, but also a place where the public would be educated about the futility of violence and the essence of peace. The construction of the park was made possible by donations in cash and kind by a number of individuals, companies and organizations, leading to its opening on 7th August 2001.