Activities in Kisumu came to a complete standstill following news of the death of opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Shops that had opened early in the day were forced to close as word spread across the city.
“I was in my shop when I saw an alert by the Star Newspaper confirming Raila's death. This was a huge shock, and within a few minutes, there were vuvuzelas all over. I closed my shop and joined the crowd," Mark Oluoch, a businessman along Oginga Odinga Street said.
Another trader at Kibuye Market John Otieno said the city and Kenya as a whole was mourning, adding that the best they could do was close their shops and join others.
“This was our father, he was everything to us as people from this region, and I know Kenya as a whole. Today is his day,” he said.
Within minutes, residents poured into the streets, some wailing uncontrollably, others clutching portraits of Raila and chanting liberation songs that have long defined his political journey.
Groups of mourners streamed in from different corners of the city, Nyalenda, Manyatta, Obunga, and Kondelegathering at major streets and junctions to grieve together.
“This is unfair to us. We are finished as the people of the lake region. Baba was our voice, our strength,” one elderly man said, tears streaking his face.
Others expressed disbelief, saying they could not imagine Kenya’s political landscape without the man they fondly called Baba.
“Raila is not just a leader; he is part of our lives. This feels like losing a father,” a young woman in the crowd said.
As the day wore on, the streets were filled with people with minimal movement from matatus; others stopped operating, and loud cries filled the air.
Kisumu, a city that has always stood firmly behind Raila Odinga, was united in grief, its heart heavy with sorrow and disbelief.
