What Asake and concert organisers said after fan’s death in Nairobi concert

The aftermath of the highly anticipated "Asake Live in Nairobi" concert has turned from celebration to national mourning following the confirmation that a young female fan, Karen Lojore, died in a stampede at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday night.

The tragedy has triggered a wave of outrage, with critics pointing to a chaotic series of failures that began hours before the gates even opened.

Breaking his silence on Monday via Instagram, Asake (Ahmed Ololade) expressed his shock and sorrow, directly addressing the loss of Lojore.

"I am devastated by the tragic incident that took place at the festival on Dec 20th in Nairobi," Asake wrote. 

In contrast, the event organisers, Tukutane Entertainment, issued a more defensive statement. While confirming the "loss of life" and offering condolences, they stopped short of accepting liability.

"We are cooperating fully with emergency services and the appropriate authorities as they work to understand what happened," the statement read.

The chaos at Nyayo Stadium was preceded by a significant red flag earlier on Saturday. 

The popular Kenyan alternative collective Kodong Klan, scheduled to perform, abruptly withdrew from the lineup just hours before the show.

In a scathing statement, the group cited "disrespect" and "interference" from the headliner's team during soundcheck as the reason for their exit.

This last-minute cancellation created a tense atmosphere and reportedly contributed to delays that left thousands of fans stranded outside the gates as the concert start time approached.

Eyewitness accounts describe a "bottleneck" at the stadium entry points. Citizen TV journalist Immanuel Ndungu, who was present, reported that security funnelled thousands of fans, including those with valid tickets like Lojore, into a single, narrow gate.

When the crowd surged, police officers reportedly responded with batons rather than organised crowd control, exacerbating the panic.

Lojore, who was in her 20s, was caught in the crush and pronounced dead upon arrival at Nairobi West Hospital.

The human cost of these logistical failures has been highlighted by the heart-wrenching public grief of Karen Lojore’s mother. 

In a widely shared post, she questioned why a valid ticket could not guarantee her daughter's safety:

For international observers, the Nairobi tragedy is disturbingly familiar. It marks the second time in three years that a fatal crowd crush has occurred at an Asake concert.

In December 2022, two people, Rebecca Ikumelo and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, died following a similar crush at the O2 Academy Brixton in London.

As the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) begins its probe, the question haunting Nairobi is whether this was a freak accident or a result of systemic negligence by those responsible for the concert.