Chaos feared as body of revered Kenyan politician Odinga heads home

A supporter of Kenya’s opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga holds a banner as mourners fill a stadium ahead of the arrival of his coffin to his home region in Kisumu, on October 18, 2025. [AFP]

Vast crowds gathered in western Kenya on Saturday to see the body of a beloved politician, Raila Odinga, for the biggest day of mourning ceremonies that have already claimed at least five lives this week.

There were cries of "Baba" (father) and "We are orphans" among the tens of thousands who packed the streets in Kisumu, the heartland of Odinga's support, as his coffin arrived by helicopter.