Eleven people were killed and scores others injured during riots in Kisumu resulting from a confrontation between Kenya’s founding President Jomo Kenyatta and opposition leader Jaramogi Oginga Odinga on October 25, 1969.

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The incident happened few years after Oginga had resigned as Vice President, citing a clash of his ideologies and those of the President. Before then, the two were close allies.

President Kenyatta had visited Kisumu to officially open the Russian-built provincial hospital, currently known as the Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital.That is when he was confronted by Odinga and his Kenya Peoples Union (KPU) supporters.

Kenyatta’s visit came three months after the massacre of vibrant Luo politician Tom Mboya in Nairobi. His death turned Kisumu and Nyanza into an opposition stronghold.

When Kenyatta arrived at the hospital grounds, a crowd of police was waiting.

“As he was inspecting a guard of honor, a section of the restless crowd started shouting, “Dume! Dume! Dume!” It was KPU’s slogan. 

"The shouting continued as the President went to sit and even as he read his speech,” reported The Nation in a historical article in 2013.

It was after the speech that Kenyatta and Odinga had an open and heated altercation. Kenyatta asked Odinga why he was misbehaving, yet he was his friend. 

Odinga reminded Kenyatta that he had fought for his release from detention, yet he had turned against him.

Kenyatta taunted Odinga about his communist leanings. Odinga responded by telling Kenyatta that he was now “eating with the very West” who had sent him to prison.

Kenyatta reminded Odinga that had he not been his friend, he would have crashed him like maize flour.

Kenyatta’s security quickly ushered him into his vehicle, which drove out of the grounds. As he left, hostile crowds started stoning his motorcade and police shot at them.

Three days later, KPU leaders among them Odinga were put under house arrest.

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