Calamity Strikes as 4 Killed During Mourning for Kenyan Opposition Leader Raila Odinga
Four people perished in Nairobi when security forces opened fire and deployed teargas to break up huge gatherings at a sports arena where political figure Raila Odinga's remains was lying in state.
National Figure Honored
The politician, who had been a prominent player in the country's governance for many years, succumbed on midweek at age 80 while in hospital care in India.
He campaigned vigorously for political pluralism, and we are enjoying those freedoms today because of his work.
Turmoil Erupts at Venue
Thousands devotees congregated on thoroughfares from early morning, with mayhem breaking out when a large crowd breached a barrier at Nairobi's main stadium, prompting armed forces to shoot skyward.
- Two people lost their lives to gunfire at the stadium
- Casualties later rose to four
- Many people sustained injuries
- Authorities deployed chemical agents to clear countless attendees
Airport Disruption and Parliament Standoff
Earlier in the day, thousands of mourners momentarily entered the city's air terminal, interrupting a ceremony where President William Ruto and government representatives were welcoming Odinga's corpse with military honors.
This situation caused a temporary halt of flight activities.
Assemblies also flooded surrounding thoroughfares and sought to penetrate the legislative building, where the administration had first arranged the community homage.
National Heritage and Ethnic Backing
While predominantly identified as an opposition figure, Odinga became senior minister in 2008 and also established a agreement with the leader last year in a political journey defined by shifting alliances.
He generated passionate devotion among adherents, notably in his cultural background based in the country's west, many of whom maintain he was deprived of the highest office by vote manipulation.
Countless of Odinga's followers, who were not living in 1991 when Kenya transitioned to a pluralistic political system, expressed respect to Odinga's contributions as an activist.
