Kenya held a state funeral for revered opposition leader Raila Odinga in Nairobi on Friday, a day after security forces opened fire to disperse huge crowds of mourners, killing at least three.

Odinga, 80, died from a suspected heart attack at a health clinic in southern India on Wednesday, triggering a huge outpouring of grief for a man known affectionately as “Baba” (father) by many Kenyans.

“He walked among us as a man but also charged among us as a movement for change, a movement for justice… for a better and greater Kenya,” President William Ruto told the crowd, gathered at Nairobi’s Nyayo stadium for the funeral.

Arguably the most important political figure of his generation in Kenya, Odinga served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013 but never succeeded in winning the presidency despite five attempts.

But he outlasted many rivals and is credited as a major player in returning Kenya to multi-party democracy in the 1990s and overseeing the widely praised constitution of 2010.

“I have freedom of speech because of Raila… I’m here because he is the father,” said Paul Oloo, a supporter at the funeral.

There were chaotic scenes a day earlier as Odinga’s body was repatriated from India and taken to another stadium on the outskirts of Nairobi to be viewed by supporters.

As huge crowds surged towards a VIP gate, security forces opened fire, killing at least three people, according to prominent rights group VOCAL Africa based on information from the city morgue.

It was not clear if the security forces fired directly into the crowd or used live rounds. Autopsies are due on Tuesday.

– ‘Excessive use of force’ –

AFP met families of the victims at the city morgue on Friday and saw photos of the bodies that appeared to show bullet wounds.

“It’s not easy to take it,” said the wife of one victim, 40-year-old Evans Kiche, who was shot in the head.

Another victim was named as Vincent Otieno Ogutu. The third has yet to be identified.

“The excessive use of force against mourners is totally unwarranted,” said Hussein Khalid, head of VOCAL Africa, at the morgue.

“We are calling on the police to exercise utmost restraint… We don’t want to see more deaths associated with this funeral,” he added.

Odinga’s body will next travel to western Kenya, his family’s home region, where more huge crowds are expected on Saturday, before a private burial service on Sunday.

His death leaves a leadership vacuum in the opposition, with no obvious successor as Kenya heads into a potentially volatile election in 2027.

AFP