On December 4, 2004, three young people stepped into the Nairobi night for a lifetime experience they had hoped for.
MaryAnne Nyokabi, a 22-year-old University of Nairobi student, Geoffrey Otieno Omenda, 19, who had just completed KCSE, and Karvu Marx Ndonge headed to the much-hyped Smirnoff Experience party at Carnivore grounds. That night ended in tragedy. A stampede broke out, killing the three and leaving seven others injured. They were pronounced dead on arrival at Mater Hospital.
Carnivore Restaurant's management pointed fingers at impatient revellers, claiming the chaos erupted when youth tried to force their way in as security personnel checked IDs at the gate to ensure only those aged 18 and above were allowed in. However, according to police deployed at the venue, the commotion began inside the grounds, sparked by drunken youths who set panic in motion.
Fast forward exactly 21 years. Another concert, another stampede, another life lost. This time at Nyayo Stadium. The Tukutane concert, held on Saturday night, December 20th, headlined by Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake, ended with the death of 20-year-old Daystar University student Karen Lojore. She was laid to rest on Wednesday, December 31, in Nairobi.
“As I lay you to rest, I’m left with so many questions and no answers. I keep asking myself what happened or what to believe. That morning, you could say goodbye. If I had known, I would have held onto every word and every breath. My child, please forgive me if I failed you in any way,” Karen’s mother, overwhelmed with grief, eulogised her daughter.
Daystar University student Karen Lojore lost her life at the Tukutane concert headlined by Nigerian artiste Asake.
Photo credit: Pool
But two weeks on, the circumstances of her death are still unclear. So what really happened?
On the day of the event, social media platforms were awash with reports of revellers losing valuables to muggers who infiltrated the event. Maxwell Mululu, the Chief Technical Officer at Xpose Sound, the agency contracted to provide sound services at the concert, remembers that weekend all too clearly, vividly recalling most of the events as they unfolded.
Nigerian singer Asake when he headlined the 2024 Afronation concert in Portugal.
Photo credit: Pool
For three days leading up to the Asake concert, Max and his team spent the better part of their time at Nyayo Stadium, setting up equipment and supporting artistes during sound checks. On that fateful Saturday, he arrived at the venue just as the dew was lifting off the ground. He would not leave until dawn on Sunday.
From the outset, Max admits he had security concerns due to the expensive sound equipment under his care.
“That’s why I spent most of my time at the venue as we built up for the event. At events like this, all kinds of people show up. I was a little bit worried about the security of our equipment, but as the days went by and I saw more security teams coming in, and how thorough they were, I became more comfortable.”
On the material day, security numbers were further increased. Still, in Max’s view, it was not enough.
“It was adequate, yes, but the organisers should have planned for more than just enough. They needed a clear and fast security escalation matrix. While the teams managing the space were sufficient, the escalation mechanism was off."
He reckons there should have been personnel on the ground constantly communicating how the crowd was flowing. That way, if an emergency arose, it could be addressed immediately.
2. Two stampedes, not one
Max recalls witnessing two separate stampedes that Saturday, long before even the main headliner, Asake, had taken to the stage, and not the single incident widely reported and heavily circulated online.
He attributes the stampedes to the revellers showing up at the last minute, which led to overcrowding at the gates.
“I’ve been in the event business for about two decades now, and if you ask me, our culture around attending events needs to change. Kenyans don’t keep time.”
He points out that the organisers had announced entry would be between 6pm and 9pm, with no admission after that. Later, the deadline was extended to 10 pm. Still, most of the crowd arrived between 8:30 pm and 9 pm.
“With a crowd of about 12,000 people, based on tickets sold, showing up almost at the same time, what do you expect?” He poses.
“Managing that kind of crowd becomes hectic. Systems get overwhelmed. That’s a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. If people came early, I don't think we would have had this issue,” he adds.
Only two ticketing stations were available. One for VVIP and VIP ticket holders, and another for regular tickets.
“With numbers like that, and considering how slow ticket verification can be, from scanning to getting a tag, the organisers should have set up more ticketing stations. That would have eased the pressure at the gates.”
As the crowd continued to swell, the first stampede broke out.
“The first one happened at the main gate that leads into the stadium parking area. The second stampede, which I believe is the one that led to the girl’s death, happened at one of the smaller gates that give access into the stadium itself.”
3. Organisers' oversight?
“That gate was smaller. Given the numbers, the ticketing station should have been placed at one of the bigger gate entries. The videos that kept resurfacing online after her death were from that second, smaller gate, not the main gate.”
“After the first stampede at the main gate - Gate C, you suddenly had a flood of people getting in. But they didn’t know where to go. At the same time, there were people at other gates who didn’t know that one gate was already down. So they kept waiting, then when they realised one gate was down, the second stampede broke out.”
At that point, the ticket verification process was abandoned altogether. Revellers were now simply asked to show their tickets as they were allowed into the stadium.
Max strongly disputes claims that the chaos was the result of the now infamous ‘Occupy Stadium’ trend, where groups of youths without tickets storm events in a coordinated attempt to gain free entry to events.
“Everyone clearly had a ticket. When the police started letting people in without verification, you could indeed see people showing their tickets. And even if some were fake, they couldn’t have been that many, given the numbers I saw streaming in with tickets .”
Max believes the police decision prevented an even greater tragedy. But by then, Karen was already fighting for her life.
“I saw two ambulances leave the stadium. I don’t know exactly when Karen passed on, whether on the way to the hospital or at the hospital, but one thing I’m certain of is that she didn’t die at the venue.”
That, he explains, is why the concert went on.
“If she had died at the venue, the event would have been immediately cancelled. That area would have become a crime scene, and with the police presence, the area would have been cordoned off,” Max explains.
He explains further: “In such situations, ambulances don’t transport bodies. Only the police do. Otherwise, the ambulance crew would be treated as accomplices. Only the police pick up dead bodies in such situations.”
Speaking to the Nation , National Police Service spokesperson Michael Muchiri says the outcome could have been far worse had officers not acted swiftly.
“Things would have turned out very badly if we hadn’t acted fast to manage the crowd the way we did. Unfortunately, we lost a university student, and perhaps the only small relief is that there were no other casualties reported, considering the circumstances. It was a mini stampede that led to the death of that young girl. But even then, one death is one too many. It is serious enough.”
“In a situation like this, there has to be a very comprehensive inquiry into what exactly transpired. What caused the mini stampede? Could things have been handled better? Could the organisers’ security arrangements have been better? These are questions, among others, that must be thoroughly examined.”
He noted that the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nairobi has been tasked with leading the probe.
“A team has been tasked with this probe, headed by DCI Nairobi area. The initial reports point to congestion at the gate, but that too must be clearly established during the inquiry currently underway. We have instructed our commanders to get to the bottom of this matter and give Kenyans clear answers.”
“What should come out of this inquiry is a comprehensive report that answers all these questions. If there is blame to be apportioned, then it must be apportioned squarely. The final report will guide how the National Police Service will proceed with the matter, based on the recommendations the report will present.”
Meanwhile, lawyer Philomena Mbaye has lodged a formal complaint against the organisers at the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK). She is seeking to have the organisers held accountable for the Karen's death on grounds of negligence, as she seeks to have CAK hit them with punitive damages and compensation.
In the complaint seen by the Nation , she argues that the experience delivered on the night fell far below what had been promised to fans, adding she was among revellers who attended the event.
“The event was characterised by severe overcrowding and grossly inadequate crowd control, which directly resulted in a stampede at the entry points, specifically Gate C and Gate E. Several attendees sustained injuries and, tragically, one attendee, Ms Karen Lajore, lost her life,” she states in her complaint.
She also accuses the organisers of poor communication and deliberate overbooking, noting that entry gates were closed at 9pm, an hour earlier than the publicly communicated closing time of 10pm.
“This unilateral decision was made without adequate notice, crowd management measures or contingency planning. As a result, many ticket holders with valid tickets were denied entry, triggering confusion, frustration, and panic. The sudden closure of the gates caused confusion, frustration, and distress among attendees, leading to heightened tension and panic. The charging and compression of the crowd at the gates, in the absence of proper crowd control mechanisms, resulted in a stampede.”
Beyond investigations and penalties, she also wants the Authority to order the organisers to issue full refunds to all consumers who were denied entry or forced to leave due to unsafe conditions.
CAK is yet to respond to the complaint. The Nation also sought comment from the Authority, but by the time of going to press, no response had been received.
Repeated calls and WhatsApp messages from the Nation to the event organisers, Khalhani Sichangi, CEO of Tukutane Entertainment, and Linda Fula, the event’s publicist, went unanswered by press time.
