In Summary
- The Mashujaa Day stampede was caused by a lady who was selling tea.
- Three police officers are among the injured.
- Four of the 13 victims have been reported to have suffered soft tissue injuries.
Police in Kericho on Friday confirmed that four people died following an early morning stampede at the venue of the 60th Mashujaa Day celebrations, the Kericho Green Stadium.
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Cause of Stampede
“…stampede caused by a lady who was selling tea outside the stadium who accidentally spilled hot tea in the fire near gate “C” along the public road, as a result, members of public panicked and mistook it to be a teargas thrown to them,” said the police.
This resulted in a public panic which was mistaken for a teargas thrown to them.
The injured, who are reported to be in stable condition were rushed to the Kericho County Referral Hospital while the dead were moved to the hospital’s morgue awaiting identification and postmortem.
“At the said hospital, four unknown females have been confirmed dead.
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Stadium Full To Capacity
Members of the public started streaming in to the venue as early as 1 am, in an effort to secure spots in the 10,000-capacity stadium.
The stadium was at full capacity by 7 am signifying the importance of today’s celebrations.
The previous day, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba officially received the stadium from the contractor after two months of successful reconstruction. The upgraded stadium now boasts two VIP lounges, two changing rooms, terraces, and paved parking.
