Kenyan President William Ruto was forced to calm his own security team after a young man suddenly rushed toward him during a public event in Kilifi, in another dramatic security scare involving the Kenyan leader.
William Ruto was briefly interrupted during a public appearance in Kilifi on May 24 after a young man broke through the crowd and moved toward the president while appearing to desperately seek his attention.
Security officers immediately rushed toward the man, tackling and dragging him away in what appeared to be a suspected security breach.
But in a moment that quickly spread across Kenyan social media, Ruto stopped his guards and urged them to release the young man, insisting he meant no harm.
“He is a very good person,” Ruto was heard telling security personnel while asking them to allow the man to speak after the event.
Witnesses said the president remained unusually calm throughout the incident despite the sudden rush toward the stage area.
The event has now become the latest in a series of public security scares involving the Kenyan president.
Ruto has previously faced other incidents while addressing crowds, including one occasion where a shoe was thrown toward him and another where he was reportedly struck by a water bottle during a public gathering.
The repeated incidents are increasingly raising questions inside Kenya about the security surrounding the head of state, especially given the heavy presence usually deployed during presidential events.
Whenever the Kenyan president attends public functions, multiple security units are normally present, including the Kenya Police Service, intelligence officers and members of the elite Presidential Escort Unit, commonly known as PSU.
Political observers say the incidents also reflect the difficult balance between maintaining presidential security and preserving Ruto’s political image as a leader who remains accessible and close to ordinary citizens.
Some Kenyans online praised the president’s reaction, describing it as calm and humane, while others questioned how an individual managed to get so close to the president despite the visible security presence.
The identity of the young man and what exactly he wanted to tell the president had not been officially disclosed by authorities by Saturday evening.
