A BBC Africa Eye investigation has linked an elite police unit responsible for presidential protection to the fatal shootings during former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s farewell ceremony at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, finding that at least three mourners killed were far from the clashes that preceded the gunfire.
The shootings claimed the lives of three mourners who had gathered at Kasarani Stadium on October 16, 2025, to pay their last respects to the veteran politician.
The BBC investigation analysed more than 1,500 images and videos from the day, placing the victims between 60 and 160 metres from the confrontation near the VIP pavilion, challenging claims that the shooting was part of efforts to contain the clashes.
One of the victims, Evan Kiche, a 40-year-old chef and father of seven, was about 60 metres from the chaos, while the other two, Vincent Ogutu and Hidah Burka, were in opposite stands at least 160 metres from the confrontation, according to the analysis.
The final resting place of the late Raila Odinga at Kang'O Ka Jaramogi in the newly constructed Raila Odinga Mausoleum, with his bronze-made clear portrait on the wall.
PCS
The findings come as ongoing investigations are being carried out by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which is still investigating the deaths almost a year after the incident, with no one yet held accountable.
Describing the scene, BBC showed thousands of Kenyans coming to the Kasarani Stadium where the farewell ceremony was supposed to take place, and their findings raised fresh questions about the use of lethal force by police during the memorial, where thousands of Kenyans had gathered to pay their final respects.
For four hours, Kenyans waited for Raila’s body to arrive at the stadium as police officers arrived at the scene, dispersing the large crowd that largely remained peaceful until moments later when gunshots were heard.
Several hours later, a section of the crowd attempted to force its way into the VIP section, throwing objects at the officers, while the police responded by firing live rounds, yet the footage from other parts of the stadium showed that the crowd remained largely peaceful.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen defended the police response, saying officers had acted with restraint after some members of the crowd began throwing objects.
Despite this, the British media house said its review of the footage confirmed that objects thrown did not include stones; instead, it included plastic chairs being thrown at the police.
"I don't think… somebody [was] sitting there and saying: 'Shoot now'. It is the judgment of the police officer at the spur of the moment," Murkomen said when asked about the police conduct.
The investigation has now revealed that heavily armed officers, including members of the Police Escort Unit (PEU) dressed in suits, the General Service Unit (GSU), the tactical squad and officers assigned to presidential protection duties, were present at the scene during the incident.
An image of a casket for Prime Minister Raila Omolo Odinga on October 18, 2025, in Mamboleo farm in Kisumu.