Four people were killed in Nairobi after security forces fired shots and teargas to disperse crowds at a stadium where opposition leader Raila Odinga lay in state.

Odinga, a towering figure in Kenyan politics who ran unsuccessfully for president five times and served as prime minister in 2008, died at 80 while receiving medical treatment in India.

Chaos erupted when mourners breached a stadium gate, prompting soldiers to fire into the air, followed by police teargas to disperse thousands of supporters, leaving scores injured.

Earlier, large crowds stormed Nairobi’s international airport, briefly halting operations and disrupting a ceremony to receive Odinga’s body with military honors, The Guardian has reported.

Odinga was celebrated for his lifelong activism and fight for multi-party democracy, commanding passionate support, especially among the Luo community in western Kenya.