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Plans for the public viewing of former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga’s body have been altered, with the venue moved to the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, following overwhelming crowds that made the initial arrangements unmanageable.
The body, which was to be taken from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Lee Funeral Home for final preparations before heading to Parliament Buildings, was diverted after massive crowds along the route disrupted the planned procession.
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Military officials and mortuary staff stationed at Lee Funeral Home were redirected to Kasarani, where the new viewing arrangements will now take place.
“The crowd was beyond control. The mortician and his team have left in a military van,” a senior Lee Funeral Home official told reporters. The team reportedly departed around 11:05 a.m., as hundreds of mourners began gathering near the facility despite tight security.
Security agencies made a last-minute decision to reroute the convoy via Outering Road to Kasarani, bypassing the city centre, where thousands of people had already filled the streets to await the procession.
Senior government officials — including Cabinet Secretaries Geoffrey Ruku and Lee Kinyanjui, as well as Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau — remained at Lee even as security personnel began pulling out from the area.
Authorities explained that the change was necessary due to the sheer size of the crowds that had gathered at JKIA, Mombasa Road, and across Nairobi’s CBD, making it unsafe to proceed with the original route to Parliament.
Officials later confirmed that dignitaries will first view Raila’s body at Kasarani before the venue opens to the public for the official state viewing ceremony.
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The government assured mourners that all logistical and security operations have now been consolidated at Kasarani, where Raila’s body will lie in state ahead of national funeral events.
Thousands of Kenyans have continued to stream into Nairobi to pay their last respects to the veteran opposition leader, whose death in India on Wednesday has plunged the nation into deep mourning.
