Kasarani Body Viewing of Raila Odinga
By Kimberly Kalusi
The stampede at Kasarani Stadium during the public viewing of Raila Odinga has drawn painful comparisons to earlier tragedies involving his family — most notably the death of his son, Fidel.
On Tuesday, thousands of mourners had gathered at Kasarani when panic broke out after gates were breached, prompting police to use force. A father and four children were among those reportedly trampled to death or critically injured. Security sources say the chaos occurred amid screaming, pushing, and sudden movements in the dense crowd. The precise numbers of fatalities are still being verified.
Many Kenyans have been recalling the loss of Fidel Odinga, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 42. Raila has, on more than one occasion, reflected on how Fidel’s death shaped his life and how it resurfaced in his memory during moments of national mourning.
While there is no direct link between the stampede and any deliberate negligence connected to Fidel’s death, the echoes are heavy: a father’s grief compounded by public chaos, the suddenness of loss, and the struggle for dignity in the face of shared sorrow.
Government officials have vowed a full investigation into the causes of the stampede, including crowd control measures, security planning, and structural arrangements at stadium gates. Raila’s family is said to be pushing for clarity and accountability, asking whether enough was done to prevent a repeat of tragedy.
A solemn moment of national mourning quickly turned into a scene of turmoil with clouds of tear gas hanging over Kasarani for hours.
Raila’s casket, draped in the Kenyan flag, was brought into the stadium but was never viewed by the public.
Efforts by leaders including ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to calm the restless crowd proved futile.
Mourners, many in tears and disbelief, expressed anger and disappointment over the day’s turn of events.
“We only came to view the body of our leader, but they served us bullets,” said one mourner.
“This is not what Baba would have wanted. They’ve stripped him of his final honors,” another told The Standard.
“A friend of mine has just been injured in the stampede — I hope she gets well,” said a third mourner.
Human rights and safety experts say this is not merely a question of fate. They point to recurrent problems in mass gatherings — inadequate exit routes, insufficient communication with the crowd, and failure to enforce security perimeters.
As Kenya mourns not only Raila Odinga but also these fresh losses, many are asking: Can we build funerals and national rituals safe enough to avoid reliving personal past tragedies?
