Stampede at funeral of Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga kills 2

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A stampede at a football stadium Friday during the state funeral service for Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga killed two people and injured more than 100 others.

Kenyans had turned out in large numbers to mourn Odinga after the democratic reformer’s death on Wednesday at age 80, reflecting the outsized influence the respected statesman had on political life in the East African country.

A stampede ensued at the stadium in the capital, Nairobi, as the public viewed his body after the service.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said two people died and 163 patients were treated at the scene with 34 of them referred to hospitals.

The Kenyan Red Cross said the chaos “left many in need of urgent care.” A source at the country’s main referral hospital said they had received dozens of patients.

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Odinga’s brother, Oburu, urged Kenyans on Friday night to be calm and mourn peacefully.

“Raila should not be teargassed in death. He has been teargassed enough when he was alive, please let us not cause a situation where he is teargassed again,” he said.

Thousands filled the stadium where Odinga’s casket was covered in the national flag for an Anglican Church service. They chanted and held up portraits of Odinga, while some carried twigs, a symbol of peace and unity in Kenyan tradition.

There was heavy security at the stadium after three people died during Thursday’s public viewing as police tried to control a huge crowd at another stadium.

At least 10 people were injured at Thursday’s event after police fired live bullets and tear gas at a surging crowd trying to reach a pavilion where the casket was placed.