Nairobi: Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has admitted that security agencies were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of mourners who turned up to pay their last respects to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The CS said the government did not anticipate the logistical and crowd control challenges that accompanied the funeral proceedings.

According to Kenya News Agency, Murkomen spoke during a fundraiser at the Africa Inland Church (AIC) Arina in Kisumu on Sunday. He noted that the sudden passing of the opposition leader caught the country unprepared, forcing security organs to make rapid adjustments to manage the large gatherings that characterized every stage of the mourning period.

He acknowledged that the challenges began when Raila’s body arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where thousands of emotional supporters breached security cordons and made their way to the runway to receive the cortege. ‘Nobody expected this. The former Prime Minister’s death was so sudden,
and our security officers did not anticipate the challenges they encountered,’ Murkomen said.

The CS noted that the chaos witnessed at JKIA spilled over to subsequent venues, including Parliament Buildings and the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, where the body was later taken for public viewing. He said the overwhelming crowds, coupled with limited preparation time, complicated coordination among various security agencies.

According to the CS, the magnitude of Raila’s stature in Kenyan politics drew mourners from all walks of life, including international delegations, and the turnout far exceeded what planners had projected. ‘Nobody was prepared for this. You cannot estimate the kind of security arrangements we were going to have. But I am happy that we improved from the airport to Kasarani, to Nyayo, to Kisumu, and finally to Bondo,’ he said.

The CS defended the police over their handling of the crowds, saying officers were under immense pressure to maintain order amid grief, emotion, and confu
sion. He expressed regret over the lives lost during the chaotic moments, particularly at Kasarani Stadium, where police were seen firing live bullets to disperse restless mourners. ‘I want to tell Kenyans that no officer wakes up with the intention to kill civilians,’ he said.

Murkomen commended the resilience of the officers and expressed gratitude to the Nyanza Regional Security Committee, led by Regional Commissioner Flora Mworoa, for managing the massive crowds in Kisumu and at the burial ceremony in Bondo. Raila’s death on October 15 in India sent shockwaves across the nation, triggering an outpouring of grief from supporters, political leaders, and foreign dignitaries.

His body was flown back to Nairobi hours later, setting off a four-day mourning period marked by unprecedented public turnout and emotional scenes across the country. Due to the overwhelming number of mourners who thronged JKIA and Nairobi streets, organizers were forced to change the initial plan for a viewing at Parliament Buildings
to the larger Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. Even then, the venue proved too small to accommodate the massive crowd that poured in, leading to scuffles and stampedes.

Part of the difficulty arose from Raila’s personal wish to be buried within 72 hours of his death, a request that left little room for the elaborate planning typically undertaken at a State Funeral of a person of his stature. Despite the challenges, Murkomen said the lessons learned from the experience would help the government improve preparedness for large-scale national events in the future.

‘Many people criticized us as a ministry, but nobody plans death, especially that of a man of Raila’s magnitude. What happened was beyond our expectations, but we did our best under the circumstances,’ he said. Raila was laid to rest on Sunday, October 19, at his ancestral home in Bondo, Siaya County, in a ceremony attended by thousands of mourners, including President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and former Nigeria Preside
nt Olusegun Obasanjo among other dignitaries.

His funeral marked the end of a tumultuous week in which Kenyans, both at home and abroad, came together to honor a man whose political journey shaped the country’s democratic discourse for more than four decades.