An incident involving a tea vendor at the Kericho Green Stadium was the cause of the stampede witnessed during the Mashujaa Day celebrations.
According to a police OB report released on October 20, a lady was selling tea targeting thousands of Kenyans who turned up for the national celebrations.
At 3 am, the lady who was selling her tea at the fire Gate C spilled the hot tea and consequently caused a commotion as the people scampered for safety.
Therefore, the commotion raised a false alarm- with members of the public mistaking the accident for a teargas lobbed by police officers.
Amid the ensuing melee, scores of people who were on their way to the stadium sustained injuries, some of which were described as critical.
“There was a 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,” the OB report read in part.
County ambulances which were on standby swung into action and rushed the injured people to the Kericho County Referral Hospital.
Four women die in Kericho stampede
A total of 13 people, among them a GSU officer and an NYS officer, were admitted to the health facility. Some of the injuries listed in the report include chest, a fractured leg, and injuries on the back.
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According to the statement, four unidentified females were confirmed dead and taken to the morgue pending identification and postmortem.
The early morning incident reflects just a fraction of the situation at the Stadium which -played host to the historic event.
From as early as 2 am, members of the public- some of whom had camped at the stadium the whole night trooped to the stadium to witness the national fete.
Also Read: Mashujaa Day: Four Die in Kericho Green Stadium Stampede
Despite an upgrade that saw the stadium’s capacity rise to 10,000, the facility was full to the brim and could not hold the entire multitude pushing to gain entry.
In addition, sections of the stadium were covered in mud- a situation attributed to the heavy rains recently experienced in Kericho County.
Ruto leads Mashujaa Day Celebrations
Nonetheless, President William Ruto led thousands of Kenyans in the stadium to celebrate the historic Mashujaa Day. Also present were Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and a host of senior governor officials.
Besides the national day celebrations, Ruto also flagged off community health workers and trucks to be used in rolling Universal Health Care across the country.
