{"id":123246,"date":"2025-10-17T06:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/kisumu-leaders-urge-calm-ahead-of-raila-odingas-homecoming-after-nairobi-chaos-leaves-four-dead\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T06:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:10:02","slug":"kisumu-leaders-urge-calm-ahead-of-raila-odingas-homecoming-after-nairobi-chaos-leaves-four-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kisumu-leaders-urge-calm-ahead-of-raila-odingas-homecoming-after-nairobi-chaos-leaves-four-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Kisumu leaders urge calm ahead of Raila Odinga\u2019s homecoming after Nairobi chaos leaves four dead"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 17\u2014 Leaders in Kisumu have appealed to young people to keep peace and order on Saturday as the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrives in the lakeside city for public viewing and an overnight vigil in Bondo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Raila died in India on Wednesday, aged 80, and his body was repatriated on Thursday to a heroic and chaotic welcome that saw hundreds storm the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and even board the Kenya Airways plane that had ferried his remains.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at a Thursday media briefing, Nyanza Regional Commissioner Flora Mworoa and Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang\u2019 Nyong\u2019o said a dignified farewell would best honour Odinga\u2019s legacy, urging crowds to avoid confrontations with security officers and to follow guidance from organisers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Regional Commissioner has said very clearly that people in this region love peace,\u201d Governor Nyong\u2019o said. \u201cLet that be proven on Saturday.\u201d Mworoa added that residents had an opportunity to show the world the dignity with which they celebrate one of their own: \u201cWe ask everyone to be very peaceful. That is all we are asking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call comes a day after chaotic scenes in Nairobi at Kasarani Stadium, where a crowd surge toward restricted areas during the public viewing of Odinga\u2019s body sparked clashes and police opened fire and used tear gas, leaving at least four dead and several injured. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier, a planned lying-in-state at Parliament Buildings was disrupted when thousands overwhelmed security barriers, forcing it to be moved to Kasarani.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities in Kisumu say preparations are in place for Saturday\u2019s events, with enhanced coordination between national and county teams. \u201cWe are preparing the ground and making sure security arrangements are done properly,\u201d said Nyong\u2019o. Officials indicated that further public advisories on access and movement will be issued ahead of the procession.<\/p>\n<p>Kisumu\u2014long the heartbeat of Odinga\u2019s political base\u2014is expected to receive tens of thousands of mourners. Local leaders urged discipline, noting reports that many youths plan to spend Friday night near Jomo Kenyatta International Sports Stadium (Mamboleo) to await the cortege. \u201cThis is your day,\u201d Nyong\u2019o told youths. \u201cDon\u2019t spoil it. Let us send off our hero in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Odinga\u2019s national programme includes Friday\u2019s State Funeral Service at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, followed by Saturday\u2019s public viewing in Kisumu and an overnight vigil in Bondo, with burial on Sunday at Opoda Farm. Further details on traffic, security and public access are expected from the organising committee.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 17\u2014 Leaders in Kisumu have appealed to young people to keep peace and order on Saturday as the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrives in the lakeside city for public viewing and an overnight vigil in Bondo. Raila died in India on Wednesday, aged 80, and his body was repatriated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123246\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}