International Media Exposes How Ruto’s Security Killed 3 Kenyans During Raila’s Farewell

An investigation by international media outlet BBC has revealed new details about the deaths of three mourners who were shot during the national farewell ceremony for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Kasarani Stadium on October 16, 2025.

Photo: Procession during Raila’s farewell

The BBC Africa Eye investigation found that the three victims were not involved in the confrontation between police officers and mourners that preceded the shooting.

Forensic analysis of footage from the stadium suggested that officers from an elite police unit responsible for protecting President William Ruto and other senior officials may have fired the fatal shots.

The BBC analysed more than 1,500 photographs and videos to establish where the victims were standing when they were shot.

One of the victims, Evans Kiche, a 40-year-old chef and father of seven, was approximately 60 metres from the confrontation near the VIP pavilion when he was fatally shot in the head.

The other two victims, Vincent Ogutu and Jidah Burka, were at least 160 metres away from the confrontation in the opposite stands. Ogutu was shot in the chest, while Burka sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

The investigation identified at least eight officers operating together in tactical clothing and military camouflage. At least three officers from the unit appeared to fire their weapons.

However, the BBC said it could not establish which bullets killed each victim or rule out the possibility that other officers also fired inside the stadium.

Thousands of Kenyans had gathered at Kasarani to pay their last respects to Raila, who died in India on October 15, 2025.

Tensions escalated when a section of mourners attempted to access the VIP pavilion by force and threw objects, including plastic chairs, towards police officers. Police responded by firing live ammunition, triggering panic inside the stadium.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen defended the police response, saying officers had been under pressure after working for hours and being deployed to a new venue at short notice.

Meanwhile, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority was still investigating the deaths, with no one held accountable at the time of the BBC report.

Vincent Ogutu’s widow, Yvonne Akinyi, told the BBC that her husband’s death had left their family devastated, questioning why he had been killed while attending the farewell ceremony.

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