Operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were briefly suspended on Thursday morning after thousands of mourners turned out to receive the body of Kenya’s former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, a day after his death in India.
Authorities said mourners breached security and gained access to restricted areas immediately after the plane carrying Odinga’s body landed, prompting a precautionary shutdown of the airport. Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) confirmed that operations were restored two hours later once order and safety were ensured.
Large crowds waving twigs and palm branches flooded the airport, surrounding access roads and terminals in an emotional scene. Many mourners, some of whom had arrived before dawn, expressed deep sorrow at the loss of a man many regarded as the “father of democracy.”
“I came here at six in the morning. We have been at the airport to welcome Baba. We are sad — we have been left as orphans,” one mourner told the BBC.
Due to the unexpectedly massive turnout, the planned public viewing of Odinga’s body has been moved from Parliament Buildings to the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
In Nairobi, thousands lined the streets from JKIA to the Lee Funeral Home and around Parliament, chanting songs and waving flags as the hearse passed by.
President William Ruto declared a seven-day national mourning period and announced that Odinga will be accorded a state funeral with full military honours.
The funeral service will take place on Friday at the Nyayo National Stadium, followed by transportation of the body to Kisumu on Saturday for public viewing. Odinga will be laid to rest on Sunday at his family home in Bondo, Siaya County, in accordance with his wish to be buried within 72 hours.
Odinga, 80, reportedly collapsed during a morning walk in India and was pronounced dead at Devamatha Hospital, near Kochi. His passing marks the end of an era in Kenya’s political history.
