Kenyans Mark Blast Anniversary

NAIROBI, Kenya —  Thousands of people gathered Saturday in the Kenyan capital to commemorate the first anniversary of a bombing outside the U.S. Embassy that killed 213 people and injured more than 5,000.

Scores of survivors returned to the site of the blast for a ceremony led by President Daniel Arap Moi that included prayers, a minute of silence and the laying of wreaths.

Afterward survivors and victims hugged each other and cried as they recalled the attack.

“I am here to celebrate my survival of the bomb blast,” said Penina Wandia Muhoho, who was blinded and scarred in the blast.

Twelve Americans were killed when the bomb exploded, devastating the embassy and causing the Ufundi Cooperative House next door to collapse.

Another bomb exploded nearly simultaneously outside the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, killing 11 and wounding dozens.

In Washington, the families and friends of American victims gathered with officials Saturday to mark the anniversary of the attacks.

Many Kenyans see the embassy attack as the country’s blackest moment since independence in 1963. It left a nation shocked to find itself a target of international terrorism.

“The perpetrators of this ugly attack intended to massacre their perceived enemies,” Moi told the rally. “But they knew that Kenyans would die as well. And so I asked a question on that day: Why choose Kenya?

“The aftermath of the bomb blast was a trail of blood, death and the tears of crippled and blinded people and numerous orphans born in freedom but who had to see their parents perish at the hands of international terrorists.”

The bombing destroyed millions of dollars worth of property and businesses and killed many breadwinners in a poor society. Survivors said they are still trying to come to terms with the attack.

Some said it was the first time that they were able to return to the site, while others said they live in constant fear.

Martin Agola clutched a framed photograph of his wife, Patricia, sitting at her desk on the fourth floor of Ufundi Cooperative House that was taken just days before the bombing. He was accompanied by their three children.

The U.S. has offered up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Osama bin Laden, the exiled Saudi dissident considered the mastermind behind the bombings.