BBC: Three people shot dead in Nairobi were far from clashes — BBC News
Three people shot dead by police during a national farewell ceremony for former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi were far from clashes near the VIP section. According to an analysis of more than 1,500 photos and videos conducted by BBC News, they were at least 60 and 160 metres away from the sites of the clashes.
The deceased were far from the VIP section
The events occurred on 16 October 2025, when thousands of people came to bid farewell to Odinga, who had died the previous day in India while receiving treatment. Due to the size of the crowd and security concerns, the ceremony was moved at the last minute from parliament to the 48,000-seat Kasarani Stadium.
After several hours of waiting in the heat, some attendees began throwing objects, including plastic chairs, at police guarding the VIP pavilion. People also tried to force their way into the VIP section. At that point, police opened fire with live ammunition. Footage from other parts of the stadium indicates that most of the crowd remained calm.
Forty-year-old chef Evans Kiche, a father of seven, died from a gunshot wound to the head about 60 metres from the conflict. Vincent Ogutu and Jida Burka were in stands on the opposite side, at least 160 metres from the pavilion. Autopsies confirmed that Ogutu was fatally shot in the chest, while 42-year-old Burka was shot in the head.
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Possible involvement of an elite unit
BBC forensic analysis indicates that the fatal shots may have been fired by officers from an elite police unit responsible for protecting President William Ruto. Journalists identified at least eight police officers in tactical gear and military camouflage; at least three of them likely fired their weapons.
At the same time, the BBC was unable to determine whose bullets killed each of the three deceased and did not rule out that other law enforcement officers at the stadium may have fired. Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen described the police actions as restrained and said officers were under significant strain due to prolonged work and an urgent relocation to another venue.
Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority, IPOA, continues to investigate the deaths and the actions of law enforcement officers. No one has yet been held accountable.
