The United States of America Deputy Secretary of State Christoper Landau has shared a remarkable moment with a heroic Kenyan Security guard who confronted US embassy bombers in the 1998 bomb blast.

The guard, Joash Okindo, was the security guard manning the gate at the Embassy compound when the terrorists pulled up in their truck.

Taking to his official X account on Friday, January 31, 2026, Landau celebrated Okindo’s heroic move even when he was threatened by a gun.

“It was a great honour for me today to meet Joash Okindo, a Kenyan security guard who was manning the gate at the Embassy compound when the terrorists pulled up in their truck. He refused to let them through, even when they threatened to shoot him,” Landau said.

The US senior governmet official described Okindo’s brave move as one that saved dozens of people at the time.

He explained that had it not been for Okinda’s bravery and quick thinking, the truck might have gotten through the gate, and many more people would have died instead.

“He said that ‘“’if you shoot me, you still don’t get through’”’ and pretended to need to get a key. But for his bravery and quick thinking, the truck might have gotten through the gate and many more people would have died,” he explained.

While not many people look death straight in the eye and live to tell the tale, Okinda survived the blast and still works for the US Embassy.

The bomb blast

August 7, 2025, marked 27 years since the first deadly bombing witnessed in Kenya in 1998, which targeted the US Embassy in Nairobi situated at the Haile Selassie Avenue/ Moi Avenue roundabout at the time. 

According to multiple reports at that time, the first and most crucial witness of the attack was Joash Okindo, who was manning the gate on the fateful day. 

The terrorists were in a truck and attempted to enter the premises just as the barrier was lifted to allow a mail cart.

However, Okinda was quick to replace the barrier, denying the terrorists access.

They demanded him to allow them to pass but he stood his ground and demanded documentation.

Realising that they were running out of time, the terrorists threw a grenade at him but he managed to duck and run inside the embassy to call for backup. Before he could reach, the grenade detonated and threw him 4 feet into the air.

He staggered across the highway and into an embassy parking lot, where he collapsed. He was found two and a half hours later by colleagues from the security firm.

The bombers then forced their way into the premises by breaking the barrier and crashing into the premises, where they detonated the explosives that killed over 200 people and injured more than 5,000.

Okinda miraculously survived the blast and helped in the investigations that ensued. He was able to recognise the driver after FBI agents showed him photos of terror suspects from their database. 

That helped trace his associate masterminds who were identified as Fazul Abdullah Mohammed and Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah.