The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Sudan must pay hundreds of millions of dollars in punitive damages to some victims of the 1998 attacks on US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

The Supreme Court's ruling holding Sudan liable suggests that the appeals court may decide that the Kenyan nationals should also receive punitive damages.

A US attorney representing Sudan estimated that the Supreme Court decision applies to only about 20 per cent of the full $4.3 billion in punitive damages.

But it is unlikely that the Kenyan families will receive anything close to the full amount of claims for which US courts have already held Sudan liable or might do so in the future.

Monday's ruling by the US Supreme Court has no bearing on separate lawsuits filed by more than 2,000 Kenyans who were harmed by the bombing but who were not employed by or related to workers at the embassy or for private contracts.