Police lobbed teargas canisters at Kasarani Stadium, to disperse thousands of Kenyans who had thronged the venue to view the body of ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
During the incident on Thursday October 16, 2025 in the afternoon, Kenyans rapidly dispersed in different directions as teargas smoke filled the stadium.
The teargas led to chaos erupting in the stadium as mourners scampered for safety while being pursued by the police who chased them away.
Within a short time, the stadium, which had been filled to capacity, was almost empty.
Clips circulating on social media showed individuals believed to be police officers attacking the gathering with sticks, in an attempt to drive them away from the stadium.
At the same time, unconfirmed reports pointed towards several people getting injured during the chaos.
The crowd had gathered at Kasarani after the public viewing of Raila’s body was changed to the stadium from Parliament, with organisers citing space and logistical issues.
The viewing was expected to take place from 12 noon, as had earlier been communicated. However, the body was held at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for over two hours with little to no progress.
Raila’s body, which had arrived from India, embarked on an hours-long journey to Kasarani, as military personnel had to bear the escort of Kenyans on foot and boda bodas all the way from JKIA to Thika Road.
A huge crowd had trooped to JKIA to receive Raila’s body from India, with the crowd even managing to breach the VIP area and landing zone, where Raila’s body lay.
