Public viewing of Raila’s body moved to Kasarani Stadium

The remains of former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga have been redirected to the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, after massive crowds made it impossible for the planned transfer to proceed as scheduled.

Initial arrangements to move the body from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Lee Funeral Home for final preparations before being taken to Parliament Buildings for public viewing were abandoned amid escalating crowd trouble.

Military officials and morticians who had been stationed at Lee Funeral Home to receive and prepare the body were instead instructed to head to Kasarani, where the process will now take place.

“The crowd was simply uncontrollable. The mortician and his team have left in the military van,” a senior official at Lee Funeral Home told journalists.

The team reportedly departed Lee at around 11:05 a.m. as hundreds of mourners began milling around the facility despite a heavy security presence.

In response to the situation, security agencies made a last-minute decision to divert the motorcade from Mombasa Road through Outering Road to Kasarani, bypassing the central business district where crowds had already filled major streets.

Top government officials, including Cabinet Secretaries Geoffrey Ruku and Lee Kinyanjui, as well as Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau, remained at Lee even as police and military officers began a quiet withdrawal from the area.

Authorities cited overwhelming crowds at JKIA, Mombasa Road, and the Nairobi CBD, which made it logistically and safely impossible to proceed with the original route to Parliament.

Officials later confirmed that dignitaries will first view Raila’s body at Kasarani, before members of the public are allowed access for the official state viewing ceremony.

The government has assured mourners that all security and logistical measures are now being coordinated from Kasarani, where the late opposition leader will lie in state ahead of the planned national funeral events.

Thousands of Kenyans have continued to pour into the capital to pay their respects to Raila Odinga, whose passing in India on Wednesday has plunged the country into mourning.