ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has sent an appeal to party supporters following the sudden passing of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Sifuna spoke from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday afternoon, where he expressed concern over the situation at the late ODM party leader's Karen residence hours earlier.
According to Sifuna, the residence had been “overrun and overwhelmed” earlier in the day as mourners flooded the home, making it impossible for the space to accommodate the large numbers arriving to pay their respects.
"We want to plead with our supporters as a leader and the SG, our people must stop going to Mama Ida's house because she is all alone," Sifuna said.
"When we came from the Karen home, it had been overrun and overwhelmed. The space simply could not accommodate everyone."
In the wake of the news of Raila's passing, Kenyans from across the country descended into mourning, albeit in different forms, with chaos being reported in several parts, including the Nairobi Central Business District.
As per the latest reports, several businesses in Nairobi's CBD were forced to close after unknown individuals attempted to loot and cause chaos under the guise of mourning Raila Odinga.
Sifuna, in his statement, urged supporters to keep calm, as he revealed potential plans by ODM's leadership to set up zones for ardent supporters to mourn their party leader.
The ODM Secretary General added, "The discussion around the leadership is that we need to set up some points for people who want to mourn Mzee. We want to request everyone to maintain peace. Ask yourself what Mzee would have wanted before doing anything. There is no point in causing mayhem or disrupting traffic."
Sifuna is part of a special delegation hand-picked by the President to facilitate the repatriation of Raila's body.
Raila's widow, Mama Ida, Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen and Hassan Joho, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Minority Leader Junet Mohamed; and family members Jaoko Oburu Odinga and Kevin Opiyo Oginga will also be part of the delegation.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a morning walk on Wednesday in India, where he was undergoing treatment.
According to a hospital spokesperson, Raila was pronounced dead at around 9:52am upon arrival in the hospital. According to reports, Raila was with his daughters and relatives when he suffered cardiac arrest.
