An autopsy report has identified the second victim who died during the state funeral for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Nyayo Stadium as 23-year-old Michael Okoth Okumu.
According to a statement by Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid on Thursday, October 23, the young man's family confirmed that the last time they saw him was last Thursday when he went to pay his respects to the late opposition leader.
"As we continue to follow up on the lives lost during Baba's funeral, we have today identified the second victim of Nyayo Stadium as 23-year-old Michael Okoth Okumu. The family has confirmed that the last time they saw him was Thursday last week," Khalid stated.
The post-mortem examination revealed that Okumu died from compression asphyxia with multiple head injuries, most likely caused by a stampede during the funeral proceedings.
"We have done the autopsy and confirmed the cause of death as compression asphyxia with multiple head injuries most likely caused by a stampede," Khalid added.
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The identification of Okumu brings to at least three the number of confirmed deaths during the chaotic scenes that unfolded at both Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums during the viewing of the former Prime Minister's body.
Earlier, an autopsy report revealed that 42-year-old Jidah Burka died from a single gunshot wound to the head during the chaos that erupted at Kasarani Stadium.
The post-mortem examination confirmed that the bullet entered through the front of Burka's head and exited at the back.
"The autopsy on the body of Jidah Burka, who was shot and killed at Kasarani stadium, has been done. The cause of death is a single headshot. The bullet went in on the front of the head and exited at the back," Khalid had stated.
Following the autopsy, Burka's family was given the body, with burial scheduled for Tuesday at Kariakor Muslim cemetery.
Khalid acknowledged the support provided by the Sonko Rescue Team, which cleared all the medical and mortuary bills for Burka's family.
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Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna announced that he has reached out to the families of victims who died during the viewing of Raila Odinga's remains at Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 22, Sifuna said his office has established contact with some of the affected families and pledged to offer them support after they lose loved ones.
The ODM Secretary General described the deaths of the mourners as needless and unfortunate, noting that most of them succumbed to gunshot wounds.
"My office is in contact with some of the families who lost their loved ones during Baba's send-off at Kasarani and Nyayo. Those were needless and unfortunate deaths, most of them due to gunshot wounds. We have extended our condolences and pledged support in this tragic loss. We hope to have reached all of them by the end of today," said Sifuna.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga revealed that approximately 100 people suffered varying degrees of injuries during the chaos that marred the viewing of the former Prime Minister's body.
The violence broke out between police officers and the crowd on Thursday last week as thousands of mourners gathered at both Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and Nyayo Stadium to pay their final respects.
IPOA is yet to issue an official statement on the progress of its probe or whether any officers have been identified or arrested in connection with the fatal shooting and the overall security failures that led to the deaths and injuries.
