Kenya Holds State Funeral for Raila Odinga Amid Grief and Tension

Kenya held a state funeral for revered opposition leader Raila Odinga in Nairobi on Friday, a day after security forces opened fire on huge mourning crowds, killing at least three people.

Odinga, 80, died from a suspected heart attack at a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of grief across much of his home country.

Affectionately known as “Baba” (father), Odinga was widely regarded as the most influential political figure of his generation in Kenya.

Although he served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013, Odinga never succeeded in winning the presidency despite five attempts. However, he was instrumental in restoring multi-party democracy in the 1990s and was credited as the main force behind Kenya’s 2010 constitution, which received widespread praise for advancing civil rights and governance reforms.

On Thursday, chaotic scenes unfolded as his body was repatriated from India and taken to a stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi to lie in state.

As massive crowds surged toward a VIP gate, security forces opened fire, killing at least three people, according to rights group VOCAL Africa, which confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that “three bodies from Kasarani Stadium have been received this evening at City Mortuary.”

President William Ruto attended the state funeral on Friday at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, joined by regional dignitaries, including Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Odinga’s body is expected to travel to western Kenya, his family’s ancestral region, where huge crowds are anticipated on Saturday before a private burial service on Sunday.

His death has left a leadership vacuum within Kenya’s opposition, with no clear successor as the country prepares for a potentially volatile 2027 election.

Source: AFP