A Nation in Mourning: Activists Demand Justice After Four Die at Kasarani During Public Viewing of Raila Odinga’s Body

As Raila Odinga’s body lay in state at Kasarani Stadium, what should have been a solemn moment of unity turned tragic when police officers lobbed tear gas canisters.

Four people lost their lives amid the chaos that erupted when police fired tear gas to control swelling crowds.

What began as mourning ended in panic, and the country is now asking: how did grief turn into tragedy?

A Farewell That Became an Uproar

On Thursday, thousands thronged Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium to pay their final respects to the man many called Baba.

The atmosphere was charged but peaceful until the gates were overwhelmed. In a matter of minutes, mourners pushed forward to view the body, police deployed tear gas, and screams filled the air.

Eyewitnesses recount how confusion spiraled into disaster.

“People were falling over each other,” said Ms Grace Omollo, a vendor who had come to witness history.

“We were crying, choking, praying, then someone shouted that people were not breathing.”

Emergency responders later confirmed that four people died, with dozens injured in the stampede that followed the tear gas dispersal.

The Kenya Red Cross Society described the response as “swift but overwhelmed,” citing respiratory distress, trauma, and injuries from falls.

Grief Meets Anger: The Public’s Response

Activists, civil rights defenders, and ordinary Kenyans have condemned what they see as excessive force in a moment that demanded compassion.

Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Forum Jane Atieno stated that no one should die mourning.

“The people at Kasarani were not rioters. they were Kenyans bidding farewell to a statesman. Using tear gas in such a setting reflects fear, not security,” Ms Atieno stated.

Digital rights advocate Samuel Odhiambo echoed her sentiments, posting on X, “We gathered in love, not rebellion. When the state meets grief with gas, it tells us emotion is a threat.”

Calls for accountability have since trended under the hashtag #JusticeForTheFour, with users demanding transparency over police crowd-control protocols.

What the Authorities Say

In a press briefing late Thursday, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura defended the police response, calling it “a difficult moment in which officers made rapid decisions to prevent a larger tragedy.”

However, human rights groups like Amnesty International Kenya have rejected that explanation, urging an independent investigation.

In a statement, Amnesty stated, “The death of mourners under state supervision demands accountability. The public deserves full disclosure of what went wrong, who gave the order, and what reforms will prevent this in the future.”

A History of Force at Public Gatherings

Kenya’s history of policing crowds during emotionally charged events, from political rallies to protests, has often been contentious.

The events at Kasarani rekindle debates about the use of force, training gaps, and command accountability in public safety management.

Security Analyst Philip Ogolla noted that crowd control requires empathy as much as equipment:

“Tear gas should never be a first response in a crowd of mourners. Crowd psychology is fragile; people panic, oxygen drops, and deaths happen in seconds,” said Dr Ogolla.

He added that the incident reflects “a systemic failure of planning rather than deliberate brutality,” urging reforms in event management protocols.

A Nation in Reflection

Across Kenya, flags fly at half-mast, and Raila Odinga’s supporters continue to gather in silent vigils. The four victims have become symbols of the nation’s double grief, the loss of a leader and of lives cut short in his honor.

In Kisumu, mourners marched silently carrying placards reading “Baba fought for us, who fights for them?”

This dual mourning has stirred deeper questions about how Kenya handles public grief. As one mourner, Elvis Nyongesa, mentioned:

“Baba taught us to speak truth to power. So even in death, we must ask, why were we silenced while we mourned?”

Activists Demand Reform, Not Revenge

Civil society groups now want structural change:

• Establishment of a Public Event Safety Code mandating crowd mapping, buffer zones, and trained marshals.

• Mandatory post-event audits when injuries or deaths occur.

• A joint oversight board comprising police, human rights bodies, and county governments to review the use of force.

“The four who died must not be statistics,” said Ms Atieno.

“Their deaths must spark reform, otherwise, we’ll just keep mourning in fear.”

The Human Cost

The tragedy at Kasarani will remain etched in Kenya’s memory, not just for the loss of a statesman, but for the reminder that human life is fragile, even in unity.

As dawn breaks over a grieving nation, the question persists: how will Kenya honor both the man it mourns and the citizens who died mourning him?