Calamity Occurs as Four Lose Lives During Memorial for Kenya's Opposition Leader Raila Odinga
A quartet of persons perished in Kenya's capital when armed personnel opened fire and deployed teargas to break up huge gatherings at a venue where opposition leader Raila Odinga's body was displayed for homage.
Political Leader Mourned
The politician, who was a significant presence in Kenyan politics for a long period, succumbed on midweek at age 80 while in hospital care in India.
He campaigned vigorously for multi-party democracy, and we experience those liberties today because of his efforts.
Chaos Unfolds at Venue
Numerous devotees assembled on thoroughfares from early morning, with chaos erupting when enormous throng forced open a barrier at the city's central arena, leading to armed forces to shoot skyward.
- Two people perished from bullets at the venue
- Death toll later rose to four
- Scores of people sustained injuries
- Authorities deployed chemical agents to scatter countless attendees
Aviation Hub Disruption and Government Building Standoff
Earlier in the day, thousands of mourners momentarily entered the city's air terminal, interrupting a official event where President William Ruto and other officials were accepting Odinga's corpse with formal recognition.
This event led to a temporary halt of airport operations.
Crowds also occupied nearby roads and attempted to breach the government complex, where the authorities had first arranged the public viewing.
Political Impact and Ethnic Devotion
Though mainly known as an government critic, Odinga assumed the role of senior minister in 2008 and also established a alliance with Ruto last year in a public service characterized by shifting alliances.
He inspired passionate devotion among followers, particularly in his cultural background based in the country's west, many of whom believe he was deprived of the nation's leadership by electoral fraud.
Numerous of Odinga's supporters, who were not yet born in 1991 when Kenya established itself as a pluralistic political system, offered homage to Odinga's efforts as an advocate.
