Mourners killed by Kenya police at ex-PM's national farewell not part of violence, BBC finds

What the report says

BBC Africa Eye says three mourners killed during the national farewell for Kenyan opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga were not part of the scuffles that preceded police gunfire at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium. Using more than 1,500 images and videos, the investigation found the victims were positioned well away from the clashes at the VIP section, with BBC analysis placing them roughly 60m to 160m from the disturbance.

The event took place on 16 October 2025, after Odinga’s death the previous day while receiving treatment in India. The ceremony drew huge crowds, and officials moved the public viewing from parliament to the 48,000-capacity stadium at the last minute because of security concerns. As people waited in hot conditions for updates, a small section of the crowd pushed toward the guarded pavilion and police opened fire.

The BBC said forensic review suggests officers from an elite unit assigned to presidential protection may have fired the fatal shots, though it could not determine which bullets killed each victim. The dead were identified as Evans Kiche, Vincent Ogutu and Jidah Burka. Autopsy findings cited by the report say Ogutu died from a chest wound and Burka from a head wound, while Kiche was also shot in the head.

Kenya’s interior minister told the BBC the police response had been restrained and blamed crowd unrest, while the National Police Service said the day offered lessons for future operations. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority is still investigating, and no one has been held accountable. The case is significant because it raises fresh questions about crowd control, police use of force and accountability at a major state-linked public event.