NAIROBI. Thousands of mourners had packed the 60,000-seater stadium to pay their last respects to the fallen ex- Prime Minister Raila Odinga , whose death in India on Wednesday plunged Kenya into mourning.
Police have reportedly shot and killed three people at Kasarani International Stadium in Nairobi after chaos erupted during the public viewing of the late Odinga’s body.
Some eye witnesses said police fired live bullets and tear gas after the restless crowd pushed through security barriers in a desperate attempt to get closer to the casket.
Footage broadcast live by local media showed mourners scattering in panic as gunfire echoed across the stadium. Some were seen hurling stones at police officers, sparking running battles inside and outside the venue.
A section of the crowd reportedly tried to force its way toward the presidential dais, where President William Ruto and other national leaders had gathered for the ceremony.
Earlier, security forces had lobbed tear gas to disperse impatient mourners who had defied crowd-control measures. Despite heavy deployment, police were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people as tensions escalated.
A somber mood had earlier gripped Nairobi as Odinga’s body—draped in the national flag—was flown into the country and received by senior government officials and family members at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Operations at the airport were briefly suspended for nearly two hours after mourners breached security barriers and entered restricted areas to catch a glimpse of the casket.
The Kenya Airports Authority later confirmed that a “precautionary closure” had been temporarily enforced before normal operations resumed.
Following the airport commotion, the government shifted the planned public viewing from Parliament Buildings to Kasarani Stadium to accommodate the unexpectedly large crowds.
“At first, everything was set at Parliament Buildings, but the crowd was simply uncontrollable,” a senior official at Lee Funeral Home told journalists. “The mortician and his team have now left in the military van for Kasarani.”
By early morning, long queues had already formed around Parliament and City Hall Way, with some mourners attempting to scale perimeter walls in anticipation of the body’s arrival.
President Ruto, alongside members of the Odinga family and several dignitaries, was expected to lead the first round of viewing before the public ceremony began.
Yesterday ,government declared a seven-day period of national mourning in honor of Odinga, a towering figure in Kenyan politics and one of the architects of the country’s multi-party democracy.
President Ruto announced that Odinga will be accorded a state funeral with full military honors.
The funeral will take place on Friday at Nyayo National Stadium, followed by a procession to Kisumu, Odinga’s ancestral home and political stronghold, on Saturday.
Members of the public will have another opportunity to view the body before he is finally laid to rest on Sunday at his ancestral home in Bondo, about 60 kilometers west of Kisumu.
According to the family, Odinga, 80, had expressed his wish to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
He reportedly collapsed during a morning walk in the Indian state of Kerala and was pronounced dead at Devamatha Hospital, about 50 kilometers from the port city of Kochi.