Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto on Thursday briefly halted his speech after a man breached security and ran towards the podium. The incident occurred as the Head of State was addressing beneficiaries of the Nyota Fund in Mandera when the unidentified man emerged from the crowd and rushed toward the stage.
Security officers quickly intervened, restraining and whisking the man away, momentarily disrupting the President’s remarks. However, President Ruto intervened, calling on the security detail to handle the situation calmly.
“Eei, so sorry, leave him alone, let him relax there. He should sit down somewhere there, and I will see him later,” the President said, signalling for the officers to ease their response. The event proceeded without further interruption.
This is not an isolated incident. On February 6, a brief security incident occurred in Mombasa when an unidentified man ran towards Ruto as he addressed beneficiaries of the Nyota youth empowerment programme.
The incident occurred at the Jomo Kenyatta Showground, where Ruto was presiding over the disbursement of Sh147 million in Nyota business start-up capital to 5,880 young entrepreneurs drawn from Mombasa, Kwale and Taita-Taveta counties.
The President was engaging the crowd from the podium when he posed a casual question to the audience, asking, “Wapi mtu wa mwisho hapa (where is the last person)?”
Moments later, a man suddenly emerged from the crowd and ran towards the dais, catching security officers off guard. As the man approached the podium, security aides quickly moved in to restrain him.
However, Ruto intervened, telling one of the officers, “Habari yako boss, wachana naye,” urging them to momentarily let the man speak. In a light-hearted exchange that drew laughter from the audience, the President asked the man his name.
“Unaitwa nani?” Ruto asked.
“Naitwa Jeremiah,” the man responded.
“Very good, Jeremiah,” the President said, jokingly adding, “Naona umeweka box,” in apparent reference to the man’s hairstyle.
Ruto then asked him about his shoes, saying, “Viatu imepotea wapi?” “Nimeziwacha,” Jeremiah replied, prompting laughter from the President and the crowd. Ruto laughed and urged him to speak, saying, “Sasa sema Jeremiah.”
As the man attempted to explain himself, he began, “Sasa your excellency, mimi ni…” before the President interjected, asking, “Kwanza umetoka wapi (where have you come from)?”
He told the President he had come from Nairobi, adding that he had followed him to various towns. “Mimi nimetoka Nairobi. Nimekuwa nawe Kisumu, nimekuwa nawe Nakuru (I have come from Nairobi. I have been with you in Kisumu, and I have been with you in Nakuru),” he said.
The President then sought to establish whether the man was a beneficiary of the programme, asking, “Kwanza leo wewe ni mtu wa NYOTA hapa?” “Mimi sio mtu wa NYOTA hapa (I am not a beneficiary),” Jeremiah admitted.
At that point, the President told him to wait, saying, “Sasa wewe utangoja kidogo, wacha nimalizane na hawa, tutashughulika na wewe (So you’ll wait a little, let me finish with these people first, then we’ll handle your case) Another security aide then calmly escorted the man away from the podium.
