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Massive crowds gather in Western Kenya to honor late opposition leader Raila Odinga
Tens of thousands of Kenyans gathered on Saturday in the western city of Kisumu to pay their final respects to Raila Odinga, the veteran opposition leader and democracy icon, following two days of mourning in Nairobi marked by deadly crowd surges.
From the early morning hours, huge crowds streamed into the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, where a helicopter carrying Odinga’s coffin landed shortly before 9 a.m. local time. Witnesses reported moments of tension as people forced entry into the venue, raising fears of renewed chaos similar to the scenes witnessed in the capital.
Emergency services later confirmed that around 100 people required medical assistance after jostling near the coffin. Despite the initial unrest, the ceremony in Kisumu proceeded peacefully as mourners queued patiently to view the casket.
“Everyone is here because Baba was our hero,” said Sheryl Okoo, a 20-year-old student, using Odinga’s affectionate nickname meaning “father.”
Odinga, who died Wednesday in India at age 80 from a suspected heart attack, was a central figure in Kenya’s political transformation. Jailed for eight years under President Daniel arap Moi’s regime, he later played a major role in drafting the 2010 Constitution, a landmark for Kenyan democracy.
In Nairobi, earlier ceremonies descended into panic when security forces opened fire to disperse surging crowds, leaving at least five people dead and over a hundred injured, according to rights organizations and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Raila Odinga, a five-time presidential candidate and a revered leader of the Luo community, will be buried privately on Sunday in his native Siaya County. “Without Baba, we are orphans,” said one young mourner, expressing the profound loss felt by many.
