A woman has reportedly died following a stampede at Nigerian singer Ahmed Ololade popularly known as Asake’s concert in Nairobi, Kenya, after stampede and overcrowding triggered a crush at the venue.

The woman, believed to be in her twenties, collapsed during the incident. 

On-site paramedics reportedly performed emergency resuscitation before she was rushed to Nairobi West Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her body was later transferred to the City Mortuary.

On social media, several users have claimed that the deceased is a woman named Karen Lojore.

A photo circulating online shows a woman alleged to be her mother expressing grief and demanding justice, writing: “Karen why? What happened? You had that damn ticket. What happened to my child? Why her? Who is going to answer my questions? I want justice for my child.”

The show was organised by Tukutane entertainment and witnesses questioned the organisers’ handling of crowd control, saying there were narrow entry points, prolonged delays at the gate and the absence of structured barriers.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Friday, the event organisers, Tukutane Entertainment, confirmed that a “tragic incident” occurred during the December 20 concert, resulting in the loss of life. 

The company said it was cooperating fully with emergency services and relevant authorities to determine what happened, adding that it would not speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident out of respect for the family and ongoing investigations.

Asake also reacted to the incident, expressing grief over the death. 

In a statement shared on his Instagram story, the artist said he was “devastated” by the tragedy that occurred during the 20 concert and extended his condolences to the family and loved ones of Karen Lojore. 

Asake said he would support efforts to understand what happened, adding that “those responsible should be held accountable.”

One attendee, Immanuel Ndungu, shared his account on TikTok, saying security personnel arranged fans into separate lines for men and women but failed to provide proper crowd-control barriers.

“The security had set out two lines of women and two lines of men all falling into one small single-man gate,” Mr Ndungu said. “There were a few hundreds of women and about 40 to 80 men trying to get in, with no crowd control or barriers.”

He said the situation deteriorated after security stopped allowing people into the venue for about thirty to forty minutes, causing frustration and a massive crowd at the entrance.

“The line of eighty guys turned into hundreds. It was no longer two lines anymore, it was just a big mob lining up at the gate,” he said.

According to Mr Ndungu, police officers later began hitting people with batons as fans attempted to overtake one another, while security repeatedly opened and shut the small gate, allowing only about ten people in at a time.

“Every time they opened it, there was a massive rush to enter,” he said, adding that people began screaming as the space became tighter.

He said fans eventually forced their way past security out of fear that the situation could turn deadly.

“If that didn’t happen, it could have ended much worse,” he said.

Beyond the first gate, Mr Ndungu said another bottleneck formed near a tunnel entrance, where people were crushed and personal belongings littered the ground.

“Paramedics had to attend to one person at a time, and as you were walking, you could see people crying, shoes and belongings everywhere,” he said.

This is not the first time a fatal stampede has been linked to an Asake concert, with a similar incident previously reported during his 2022 show in London where a fan Rebecca Ikumeleo died and many other people got injured.