A BBC Africa Eye investigation has found that three mourners shot dead by Kenyan police during the national farewell for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in October 2025 were not involved in the confrontation that preceded the shooting.
The investigation analysed more than 1,500 images and videos from the event at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium on October 16, 2025, establishing that the three victims were at least 60 metres away from the clashes between police officers and mourners attempting to access the VIP pavilion.
The findings raise fresh questions about the use of lethal force by security personnel during the farewell ceremony and the accountability of officers involved.
Three Mourners Killed Hundreds of Feet from the Clash
The victims were identified as Evans Kiche, a 40-year-old chef and father of seven; Vincent Ogutu, a 36-year-old father of three; and Jidah Burka, aged 42.
According to the BBC’s analysis, Kiche was approximately 60 metres from the confrontation when he was fatally shot in the head. Ogutu and Burka were at least 160 metres away, in the opposite stands.
Autopsy reports confirmed that Ogutu died from a gunshot wound to the chest, while Burka was killed by a shot to the head.
The findings showed that the victims were far removed from the confrontation near the VIP pavilion. However, the investigation could not establish which bullets killed each victim or rule out the involvement of other officers.
Investigation Points to Elite Police Unit
The forensic analysis suggests that members of an elite police unit responsible for protecting President William Ruto and other senior officials may have fired the fatal shots.
Investigators identified at least eight officers operating together in tactical clothing and military camouflage. The officers carried assault rifles, covered their faces and displayed no visible insignia.
Their uniforms and movements were consistent with those of personnel assigned to presidential and VIP protection. At least three officers from the group appeared to fire their weapons during the incident.
The BBC cautioned that it could not conclusively identify which officers fired the shots that killed the three mourners.
Kenyan Government Defends Police Response
Kenya’s Interior Minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, defended the police response, describing their actions as “restrained” after sections of the crowd began throwing objects at officers.
BBC footage confirmed that objects, including plastic chairs, were thrown during the confrontation, although the investigation found no evidence that the objects included stones.
Murkomen said officers had worked for several hours without a break and were deployed to the stadium at short notice after organisers changed the venue for the farewell.
He also said the shooting was not necessarily the result of a deliberate order, suggesting that officers may have made decisions in the heat of the moment.
“The investigations are being done by an independent police oversight authority,” Murkomen told the BBC, adding that the findings would help authorities determine appropriate legal action.
Kenya’s National Police Service acknowledged that lessons had been learned from the incident and said the events would inform efforts to improve professionalism in future operations.
How the Farewell Turned Deadly
Odinga, one of Kenya’s most influential political figures and its longest-serving opposition leader, died aged 80 on October 15, 2025, while receiving medical treatment in India.
His death triggered widespread mourning, with thousands of people gathering at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to receive his body.
The coffin was initially scheduled to lie in state at parliament. However, the scale of the crowds and concerns about security forced officials to move the ceremony at short notice to Kasarani Stadium, a venue with a capacity of approximately 48,000 people.
Thousands of mourners reportedly spilled onto the pitch and into the stands, while officials struggled to manage the crowds.
After hours of waiting in temperatures of about 30°C, with no public-address system to provide regular updates, a section of the crowd began throwing objects at officers guarding the VIP pavilion.
As some mourners pushed towards the pavilion, police fired live ammunition, triggering panic across the stadium. Footage from other sections showed crowds that remained largely peaceful.
Three people were killed in the shooting.
Families Still Waiting for Justice
For the families of the victims, the deaths have left lasting emotional and financial consequences.
Yvonne Akinyi, Ogutu’s widow, told the BBC that her husband had not initially planned to attend the farewell. He was in central Nairobi with friends when they saw crowds heading towards the stadium and decided to join them.
Hours later, he was dead.
Akinyi said the loss had devastated their family and left their children without their father. As the anniversary of his death approaches, she said she still struggles to understand why he was killed while attending a public event to pay his respects.
“The people who we look at to protect us, these are the people that cause us this pain,” she said.
Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) was still investigating the deaths and the police response nearly a year after the shooting. No one had been held accountable at the time of the BBC report.
The IPOA did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
The investigation has renewed scrutiny of police use of force at public gatherings and the need for transparent investigations when security operations result in civilian deaths.
