18 injured in stampede at funeral for Kenya’s former prime minister Raila Odinga

Eighteen people have been injured during a stampede at a football stadium during the state funeral service for Kenya’s former prime minister Raila Odinga, the democratic reformer who died this week in India at the age of 80.

Kenyans had turned out in large numbers to mourn Mr Odinga since his death on Wednesday, reflecting the outsized influence the respected statesman had on political life in the East African country.

A stampede ensued at the stadium in the capital, Nairobi, as the public viewed his body after the service.

The Kenyan Red Cross said the incident “left many in need of urgent care”. A source at the country’s main referral hospital said they had received 18 injured people.

Thousands filled a football stadium where Mr Odinga’s casket was covered in the national flag for an Anglican church service in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. They chanted and held up portraits of Mr Odinga, while some carried twigs, a symbol of peace and unity in Kenyan tradition.

There was heavy security at the stadium after three people died during Thursday’s public viewing at a different stadium.

At least 10 people were injured at Thursday’s event after police fired live bullets and tear gas at a surging crowd trying to reach a pavilion where the casket was placed.

Mr Odinga ran for Kenya’s presidency five times over three decades, and although he never succeeded in becoming president, he is revered for a life of activism that helped steer Kenya towards becoming a multiparty democracy.

Mr Odinga’s body lay in state in parliament on Friday morning ahead of the funeral, an honour only reserved for the president and former presidents.

President William Ruto said Mr Odinga deserved the honour for having been a legislator for 15 years, a role he used to play “a pivotal role in shaping some of the most consequential laws in our republic’s history”.

Mr Ruto campaigned for Mr Odinga in 2007 — a disputed election that was marred by violence. The two men were rivals in subsequent elections, including the most recent one in 2022.

The two leaders signed an agreement this year after months of anti-government protests, and the pact saw opposition party members appointed to cabinet positions.

David Kodia, the Anglican bishop who led the service, urged the leaders present to be “selfless” like Mr Odinga and to shun corruption. Mr Odinga was a practicing member of the church.

Political analyst Herman Manyora told The Associated Press that the love displayed by so many mourners was a reflection of his work for democracy.

“You can’t point at a man more willing to sacrifice everything just for the sake of his people,” said Mr Manyora, based at the University of Nairobi.

Among the mourners were Mr Odinga’s wife Ida, daughters Winnie and Rosemary, and son Raila Odinga Junior.

Winnie Odinga, who was with him in India, led the mourners to chanting in the local Luo language.

She said her father died “strong, with dignity and pride” after he pushed his morning walk from his usual two to five rounds around the hospital where he was being treated.

His son Junior, while donning his father’s beaded hat and a fly whisk, said he would take care of the family as the sole surviving son.

Mr Ruto led the mourners in singing Mr Odinga’s favourite song, Harry Belafonte’s Jamaica Farewell, and said he helped him steady the
nation earlier in the year.

“Whenever the nation needed him to rise above self, he always did so unreservedly,” he said.