Ofure Akhigbe
Operations were briefly suspended at Kenya’s main airport on Thursday after thousands of mourners thronged the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to receive the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who died in India on Wednesday.
Crowds carrying twigs and palm branches breached security barriers as the aircraft transporting Odinga’s remains arrived in Nairobi, prompting authorities to order a precautionary shutdown of airport operations for about two hours.
Airport officials said the temporary closure was necessary to restore order and ensure safety after mourners gained access to restricted areas. Normal operations later resumed.
Due to the unexpectedly large turnout, the public viewing of Odinga’s body has been moved from the parliament building to the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi.
Mourners also lined highways leading from the airport, the Lee Funeral Home—where the body was initially expected—and the parliament area.
“I came here at six in the morning to welcome Baba [Odinga’s nickname]. We are sad; we have been left as orphans. He is our father,” one mourner told the BBC.
A state funeral will be held on Friday at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. On Saturday, the body will be transported to Kisumu, Odinga’s political stronghold in western Kenya, for public viewing before burial on Sunday at his farm in Bondo, about 60km west of Kisumu.
According to the family, Odinga had wished to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
The 80-year-old former prime minister collapsed during a morning walk in India on Wednesday and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital, about 50km east of the port city of Kochi, where he was pronounced dead.
President William Ruto has declared a seven-day period of national mourning and announced that Odinga will be accorded a state funeral with full military honours.
Odinga, who served as Kenya’s prime minister from 2008 to 2013, was a dominant figure in Kenyan politics for decades. He ran unsuccessfully for president five times, most recently in 2022.
