Odinga, a major figure for decades in Kenyan politics who was once a political prisoner and ran unsuccessfully for President five times, died on Wednesday, aged 80, in India, where he had been receiving medical treatment.
With thousands of his supporters on the streets from early morning, chaos erupted when a huge crowd breached a gate of Nairobi’s main stadium, prompting soldiers to fire in the air, a Reuters witness said.
A police source told Reuters that two people were shot dead at the stadium. KTN News and Citizen TV later said the death toll had increased to four, with scores of people injured.
After security forces fired shots, police lobbed tear gas to disperse thousands of mourners, the two broadcasters showed, leaving the stadium deserted.
Earlier in the day, thousands of mourners briefly stormed Nairobi’s international airport, interrupting a ceremony for President William Ruto and other officials to receive Odinga’s body with military honours.
–Reuters–
