August 7th Memorial Park

On August 7th 1998, a group of terrorists used a car bomb to blew up the then United States Embassy located at the corner of Moi and Haile Selassie Avenues, causing 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 as Tigoni and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, while the shock wave was felt all over the city causing many buildings to tremble.

As a result, a new embassy was constructed on a heavily fortified site at Gigiri while ownership of the existing site was donated by the American and Kenyan people to a trust charged with turning it into a Memorial Park 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 the 7th August 2001.

The park has a conference facility which can be hired for events, similar to the garden. Lately it has hosted various artistic events. Conveniently located in the city centre, the facility has ample parking.