Chaos broke out at Gusii Stadium on Sunday ahead of the much-anticipated clash between football giants Gor Mahia and Shabana FC, leaving several fans injured in violent confrontations involving stone throwing and pitch invasions.
What began as pre-match excitement quickly turned ugly when rival fans, gathered in the same regular stand, began hurling stones at each other, triggering panic and injuries.
By 11:30 am, the stadium was packed to capacity, well before the scheduled 2:00 pm kickoff.
In videos circulating online, fans can be seen throwing stones and scrambling for safety as violence spread through the stands. Some spectators stormed the pitch, further disrupting the scene as security personnel scrambled to restore order.
Despite repeated pleas from stadium announcers for calm, the situation deteriorated rapidly.
“Our fans, let’s settle down and remain calm. The situation is being handled,” one announcer could be heard saying over the public address system. Appeals for ambulances were also made to attend to the injured.
Authorities were forced to deploy additional security to contain the unrest. It’s unclear how many fans have been injured, but emergency responders were seen evacuating casualties to nearby hospitals.
The incident raises serious concerns about fan safety, crowd control, and stadium preparedness at major sporting events in the country.
As investigations continue, football stakeholders are calling for enhanced security measures and stricter fan management to prevent such violent scenes from recurring in Kenyan football.
