State funeral for Kenya's ex-president Kibaki

Kenya held a state funeral on Friday for former president Mwai Kibaki, who died aged 90 last week and whose decade in power was marked by economic revival as well as scandal and violence.

Kibaki was the third head of state in Kenya's history, serving from December 2002 to April 2013 following the 20-year authoritarian regime of Daniel arap Moi and preceding current President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Benches at Nyayo National Stadium in the heart of the capital Nairobi were full under a heavy sky as the procession accompanying Kibaki's coffin arrived.

Alongside ambassadors, officials and members of the government, a dozen heads of state and prime ministers were expected from across the African continent, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.

Kibaki, who trained as an economist in Uganda and London, was elected in 2002 after promising to tackle corruption. But his decade in power was marred by scandals and Kenya's worst political violence since independence.

In late 2007, his disputed re-election led to violence between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin, two of the country's largest communities. More than 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

He also oversaw the adoption of a new constitution in 2010 with reforms aimed at preventing such unrest.

However, Kenya experienced strong economic growth under his leadership, notably through his Vision 2030 programme, taken up by Kenyatta, which allowed the launch of major infrastructure projects as well as health and education reforms.