The police in Kenya have fired tear gas and shots to disperse huge crowds of mourners gathered in Nairobi to view the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Witnesses said panic broke out at the Moi International Sports Centre after a section of the crowd forced its way into a restricted area. Several people were injured in the chaos, though it remains unclear if police used live ammunition.
Odinga’s body was flown from India earlier in the day, where he died on Wednesday morning at the age of 80. Thousands of supporters lined the streets and gathered at the airport carrying palm branches and chanting his nickname, “Baba,” before escorting the funeral convoy to the stadium.
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Authorities said the public viewing was moved to the larger venue due to the unexpectedly high turnout, with some mourners breaching security gates as the convoy arrived. A seven-day period of national mourning has been declared, and Odinga will receive a state funeral with full military honours.
The funeral will take place at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, before his body is taken to his hometown of Bondo in western Kenya for burial on Sunday. Odinga, a central figure in Kenyan politics for decades, was widely regarded as a champion of democracy and reform.
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