Calamity Strikes as 4 Die During Memorial for Kenya's Opposition Leader Raila Odinga
Four individuals were killed in Nairobi when security forces opened fire and deployed teargas to scatter massive crowds at a stadium where political figure Raila Odinga's body was on public view.
Political Figure Mourned
The politician, who had been a prominent player in the country's governance for many years, succumbed on Wednesday at age 80 while undergoing healthcare in the subcontinent.
He fought tirelessly for multi-party democracy, and we experience those liberties today because of his work.
Disorder Breaks Out at Venue
Thousands supporters gathered on thoroughfares from dawn, with chaos erupting when a large crowd forced open a gate at the capital's primary venue, prompting soldiers to shoot skyward.
- Two people lost their lives to gunfire at the location
- Casualties later rose to 4
- Scores of individuals got wounded
- Authorities employed irritants to disperse thousands mourners
Airport Event and Parliament Situation
Earlier in the day, numerous of grievers momentarily entered the capital's aviation hub, disrupting a official event where the head of state and government representatives were accepting Odinga's body with armed forces tribute.
This situation led to a temporary halt of airport operations.
Crowds also occupied surrounding thoroughfares and tried to enter the legislative building, where the government had first arranged the open visitation.
National Impact and Ethnic Support
While predominantly identified as an government critic, Odinga served as senior minister in 2008 and also struck a political pact with the leader last year in a public service marked by changing partnerships.
He inspired passionate devotion among supporters, notably in his cultural background based in the country's west, many of whom believe he was prevented from obtaining the nation's leadership by election irregularities.
Countless of Odinga's mourners, who were not yet born in 1991 when Kenya transitioned to a pluralistic political system, expressed respect to Odinga's work as an activist.
