There was chaos in Nairobi on Thursday morning, October 16, 2025, as thousands of mourners pushed through security barriers and began scaling the perimeter wall of Parliament Buildings as they readied for the viewing of the body of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The body of the late leader is on its way to Parliament from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where it arrived earlier in the morning aboard Kenya Airways flight KQ203 from Mumbai, India.
The procession is expected to make its way through the city under tight security as thousands await its arrival.
Outside Parliament, tension has been building since dawn. Many mourners began arriving in the CBD as early as 4 am, braving the morning cold to secure a place near the gates.
By 9 am, the crowd had grown so large that it stretched past the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and into several adjoining streets.
Some mourners have already climbed onto the Parliament gates and fences, attempting to find a vantage point to witness the arrival of the body.
The crowd, waving flags and dressed in orange attire, has been chanting Raila Odinga’s name and singing songs of freedom and remembrance.
Security officers, including members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the General Service Unit (GSU), and regular police, have struggled to control the swelling masses. The mourners, however, insist their intentions are peaceful.
“We are not protesting; allow us to mourn in peace,” one of the mourners told the media.
The crowd’s eagerness to pay their last respects has led to several moments of chaos as people attempted to push past the barriers set up by security forces.
Officers have been seen appealing for calm while reinforcing barricades to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.
