Panic briefly erupted after a man breached security and reached President William Ruto during a public event in Kilifi County on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The incident occurred during a Thanksgiving service for Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs at Mnagoni Primary School in Bamba, Ganze constituency, where the president was addressing a large gathering.
Crowd breakthrough moment
The man emerged from within the crowd holding a Bible before pushing past security and moving directly toward the podium.
In a rare moment of confusion, he managed to reach the president and briefly hug him before the security detail quickly intervened and pulled him away.
Amid the chaos, Ruto, who appeared visibly shaken, nearly lost his balance as security officers restrained the intruder and moved him away from the stage.
The president briefly cut his speech short as security detail moved in to restore order at the podium.
Calm restored quickly
At one point, the president instructed security officers to stop handling the man roughly as the situation unfolded.
“Eiih! Wachana na huyu kijana!” Ruto was heard saying as officers moved in to secure the area.
Once calm returned, the president attempted to downplay the incident, suggesting the man may have acted out of excitement rather than malicious intent.
“Asante sana. Huyo kijana hana shida. Nafikiri amejifunza kutoka kwa Fikirini Jacobs kwamba nafasi ikipatikana asiipoteze. Huyo kijana, wachana naye, nitamshughulikia baadaye. Ni kijana mzuri. Yeye pia anatafuta bahati yake,” Ruto told the crowd, drawing mixed reactions from attendees.
Security teams later escorted the man from the scene as proceedings continued under tight protection.
The incident comes months after a similar security scare involving Ruto in Wajir County, when another individual attempted to reach the Head of State during a public function before being intercepted by security officers.
The incident also comes after a previous shoe-throwing incident in Kehancha that briefly disrupted one of the Head of State’s public appearances.
