Three mourners killed when Kenyan police opened fire at a national farewell for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga were not involved in a clash that sparked gunfire, a BBC Africa Eye investigation has found.

During an event held last October for people to pay their respects to Odinga, three people were shot dead after mourners attempted to gain access to the VIP section of Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium by force.

BBC analysis from inside the stadium shows the victims were each between at least 60m (197 ft) and 160m from the scuffles.

Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told the BBC that the police action had been “restrained” after the crowd starting throwing stones.

In footage analysed by the BBC, it is clear that objects, including plastic chairs, are thrown, but we have no evidence that they included stones.

The BBC went through more than 1,500 images and videos to establish the location of those killed in the stadium on 16 October 2025, and also spoke to some of their relatives.

Forensic analysis by the BBC suggests an elite police unit responsible for protecting the president may have fired the fatal shots.

Kenya’s longest serving opposition leader and former prime minister died the previous day while receiving medical treatment in India. He was one of the country’s most influential political figures.

A year on, Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), is still investigating the deaths and police response and no-one has been held to account.

The interior minister defended the police by saying they had been under “so much pressure” after working for many hours non-stop and had been deployed to a new venue at the last minute.

“The investigations are being done by an independent police oversight authority, we believe that their findings will help us take appropriate legal action,” Murkomen said.

Responding to questions about the conduct of police he said: “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.”