Chaos at Raila Odinga’s State Funeral in Kenya, 18 People Injured

World News: Saturday morning's silence on the streets of Nairobi turned into pandemonium inside the Nyoyo National Stadium. During the state funeral ceremony of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, thousands of people gathered to have a last glimpse of his mortal remains, but the crowd went out of control. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team said that two people lost their lives in this stampede, while more than 163 people were injured. Of these, 34 were admitted to hospital, where cases of bruises and bone fractures were reported. My heart felt heavy after seeing the scene of the stadium—on one side a crowd of people paying tribute to 'Baba,' on the other side a scene of chaos.

How did the stampede happen?

Jean Jerry Abeka, a young man in the crowd, had tears in his eyes. He said, “Raila saved our democracy. Today we came to pay tribute to his dreams, but what has happened?” The ceremony began with military honors by President William Ruto. People were seen waving white handkerchiefs, playing vuvuzelas, and chanting slogans in Swahili—"Railausilale, bado mapambano," meaning "Raila, don't sleep, the struggle is yet to come." But as soon as the coffin wrapped in the tricolor moved forward, there was chaos. The MSF team immediately started relief work, but it became difficult to save lives.

That was not the first time. The situation was similar during the public darshan at Kasarani Stadium on Friday. When thousands of supporters broke the gate and started entering inside, the security forces resorted to aerial firing and tear gas. Result—three deaths due to gunshots and more than 10 injured. Vocal Africa CEO Hussain Khalid said that three bodies reached the mortuary with bullet marks. Vice President Kithure Kindiki ignored this at a press conference, but Raila's brother Oburu lamented, "Raila got enough tear gas while he was alive; now even after death?"

Memories of Raila

Raila Odinga died this week at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment in India. This leader, who contested the presidential elections five times, created history by becoming the prime minister in the unity government after the disputed elections of 2007. He was a beacon of hope for the Luo community—his memories still echo in palm frond-waving mourning processions. His body will be taken to Kisumu on Sunday, where crowds are expected to gather again. President Ruto said, "Raila lives in the soul of every Kenyan." But these incidents left questions—was the security so unsuccessful, or did the wave of grief wash away everything?

This is the biggest scene of mourning in Kenya since independence. Hopefully, there will be peace in the future; otherwise, 'Baba's' struggle will remain incomplete.