Kenyan Military Fires Shots Until Tear Gas Disperses Mourners Of Opposition Leaders

JAKARTA - Kenyan security forces opened fire into the air and threw tear gas to disperse thousands of mourners on Thursday at the stadium where opposition leader Raila Odinga's body was buried.

Odinga, an important figure in Kenyan politics for decades who has been a political prisoner and has run for president five times but failed, died on Wednesday at the age of 80 in India, where he underwent medical treatment.

With thousands of supporters on the streets since the early hours of the morning, chaos erupted as a large crowd broke through the gates of the Nairobi sports arena, which sparked fire into the air by the army, a Reuters witness said on Thursday, October 16.

Police then threw tear gas to disperse them. KTN News and Citizen TV showed people leaving the stadium empty.

Earlier that day, thousands of mourners had stormed Nairobi's international airport, disrupting President William Ruto and other officials' reception ceremony with military respect.

This resulted in the termination of airport operations for two hours.

Crowds of people also flooded nearby streets and tried to break through the parliament building, where the government initially scheduled the final tribute event.

Despite being widely known as an opposition figure, Odinga became prime minister in 2008 and also reached a political pact with Ruto last year in his alternating career of the alliance.

He received full support from his supporters, especially in the western Kenya-based Luo tribe, many of whom believe he was rigged in the presidential election through election fraud.

The mourners of Odinga, many of whom were not born in 1991 when Kenya became a multi-party democracy, paid tribute to Odinga's efforts as an activist.

"He fought tirelessly for multi-party democracy, and we are enjoying the freedom today thanks to his struggle," student Felix Ambani Uneck told Reuters at the stadium where thousands of people walked and rode motorbikes.