Nairobi descended into chaos on the morning of Thursday, October 16, 2025, as thousands of mourners flooded the streets leading to Parliament Buildings, pushing through security barriers and scaling perimeter walls in anticipation of viewing the body of the late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.
The body of the revered leader was en route to Parliament from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where it had arrived earlier aboard Kenya Airways flight KQ203 from Mumbai, India. The motorcade, under heavy security escort, was expected to snake through the city’s major roads as emotional crowds awaited its passage.
Massive Crowds and Rising Tension
From as early as 4 a.m., mourners began streaming into the Central Business District, determined to secure a vantage spot near Parliament. By 9 a.m., the crowd had swelled into the thousands, stretching from Parliament Road past the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and spilling into surrounding streets.
Many wore orange attire the colour synonymous with Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and waved flags while chanting his name and singing songs of liberation and remembrance.
As the morning progressed, some mourners climbed onto Parliament gates and fences to get a better view of the anticipated arrival, while others pushed against the barriers, creating tense moments for security officers on the ground.
Security Struggles to Maintain Order
A multi-agency security team including officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), General Service Unit (GSU), and regular police struggled to contain the surging masses. Despite the commotion, mourners maintained that their intentions were peaceful.
“We are not protesting; we just want to mourn our leader,” one mourner told reporters outside Parliament.
The mounting pressure from the crowd prompted officers to reinforce barricades and plead for calm to prevent stampedes. The situation remains fluid as thousands continue to gather, united in grief and eager to pay their final respects to the man who shaped Kenya’s democratic journey.
