Two dead in Nyayo Stadium stampede during Raila Odinga public viewing

RAILA'S FAREWELL · Ann Nyambura · October 17, 2025
Two dead in Nyayo Stadium stampede during Raila Odinga public viewing
Thousands of Kenyans at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi for the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's State Funeral Service on October 17, 2025. PHOTO/PCS
In Summary

The organisation added that an additional 40 patients had been treated through ambulance services on Thursday.

Tragedy struck on Friday at Nyayo Stadium as two people lost their lives in a stampede during the public viewing of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s body. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), part of the emergency medical teams on site, reported that more than 160 people were treated for injuries sustained during the incident.

“On October 17, at the Nyayo Stadium field hospital, the multi-agency teams attended to 163 patients and referred 34 others for further care. Most injuries involved blunt trauma and fractures. Tragically, two lives were lost in the stampede that occurred today,” MSF said.

The organisation added that an additional 40 patients had been treated through ambulance services on Thursday.

The public viewing began on Thursday but was marred by chaos after mourners breached security at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to join dignitaries receiving the late leader’s body.

The crowd later followed the convoy to Kasarani Stadium, where police fatally shot at least three people before the start of the viewing.

On Friday, the exercise resumed following a requiem mass attended by heads of state, political leaders, dignitaries, and ordinary Kenyans who had gathered to pay tribute.

The National Funeral Committee, led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, appealed for calm as the country enters the third day of mourning on Saturday, when focus will shift to Kisumu for the final rites ahead of Sunday’s burial.

“We will mourn in dignity. It is a heavy moment, but we must do everything possible to protect the image of our fallen leader,” Kindiki said in an update on Friday night from Karen.

Raila Odinga’s body is scheduled to be airlifted by the military to Mamboleo Grounds in Kisumu on Saturday morning.

It will lie in state throughout the day for public viewing before being transported to Bondo for an overnight vigil, ahead of a private interment ceremony on Sunday.

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