Sifuna: Kasarani deaths during Raila’s body viewing were unfortunate
Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has spoken out on the tragic deaths of mourners at Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums during the public viewing of the late Raila Odinga’s body, describing the fatalities as needless and unfortunate.
The victims, who have been confirmed through autopsy reports to have died from gunshot wounds, were among thousands who had gathered last week to pay their last respects to the former Prime Minister.
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In an X post on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Sifuna revealed that his office is in direct contact with some of the affected families and has pledged both moral and logistical support during this difficult period.
“My office is in contact with some of the families who lost their loved ones during Baba’s send-off at Kasarani and Nyayo. Those were needless and unfortunate deaths, most of them due to gunshot wounds,” the X post read.
“We have extended our condolences and pledged support in this tragic loss. We hope to have reached all of them by day’s end today.”
Autopsy reports presented to the families confirm that multiple victims died from close-range gunshot wounds.
Government Pathologist Bernard Midia confirmed that three men and two women, all young adults, were among the deceased. Two of the victims suffered penetrating head wounds, while a third succumbed to injuries caused by a gunshot that passed through the chest and abdomen. A fourth individual, said to have died at Nyayo Stadium, succumbed to suffocation.
The families of the victims, including Vincent Otieno Ogutu, 36, from Umoja 3; Evans Onyango Kiche, 40, from Njiru; Josfae Jida Burka, 42, from Lakisama; and Josephine Anjao Akeng’o, are now demanding accountability.
Bullets retrieved from the bodies of Ogutu and Kiche have been handed over to the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) for forensic analysis, as investigations intensify to trace the firearms used.
“What we are witnessing is yet another example of police brutality and the unchecked use of deadly force. This is not just a tragedy, it is a human rights crisis,” Hussein Khalid said, a vocal human rights activist.
Sifuna’s remarks come amid growing national outrage, as the families call for justice, compensation, and prosecution of those responsible.
The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), IPOA, DCI officers from Kasarani and Lang’ata, and several human rights groups are now involved in the investigations.
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has also pledged to provide legal support for the affected families.
