Tens of thousands of mourners in Kenya fled in panic when security forces fired gunshots and teargas in a stadium where they had gathered to see the coffin of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose body was repatriated from India on Thursday.
AFP journalists said at least three people were visibly injured at Kasarani Stadium after security fired to disperse surging crowds trying to break into the VIP section.
One showed a serious head wound.
Odinga, 80, died of a suspected heart attack at a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday, triggering a huge outpouring of grief across much of Kenya.
He was one of Kenya’s foremost statesmen.
He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times but was seen as a major force for democratic reform.
A large crowd initially gathered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport early on Thursday to greet his coffin, forcing the civil aviation authority to temporarily suspend operations to “restore order and ensure safety”.
The body was initially due to be taken to parliament, but with supporters swarming and clambering up the gates, the authorities decided to relocate the coffin to Kasarani Stadium on the outskirts of the capital.
The main highway to the stadium was then entirely blocked with supporters, becoming a sea of green as many waved symbolic branches for Odinga, affectionately known as “Baba” (father).
There were rowdy scenes at the stadium as the crowd awaited the arrival of the coffin, until the outbreak of gunfire led to panicked running.
AFP saw several people gathered around a man who was lying motionless on the ground with blood pouring from his head.
President William Ruto has announced seven days of national mourning for Odinga, with a state funeral service to be held in Nairobi on Friday.
State television showed large numbers of people also gathered in Bondo, the family’s ancestral seat in western Kenya, where Odinga is due to be buried on Sunday.
Michael Omondi, a youth leader for Odinga’s party, told AFP he was at the airport “to receive an icon… a giant”.
“Baba, we knew that you were the only person who was going to take us to Canaan (the promised land),” he added.
AFP
