French President Emmanuel Macron has caused public discussion after he briefly interrupted a presentation at the University of Nairobi to demand silence from a noisy audience during a public engagement on culture and leadership on Monday, May 11, 2026.
The moment has sparked questions about event control and organisation during the summit. Radio host Mwalimu Rachelreacted to the incident by questioning who was responsible for managing the room. She focused more on the leadership of the event rather than the outburst itself.
She explained that many people have been talking about Macron’s actions, but she does not want to focus on whether he was right or wrong. Instead, she raised concerns about the role of the moderator during the session.
“Everyone and their mother is talking about the French president Macron’s outburst and his trying to shush the room at the summit,” Mwalimu Rachel said.
She added that the main responsibility should have been on the MC to ensure order in the room. According to her, proper coordination was missing at a time when it was needed most.
“My question is who was the MC? Who was the MC/ moderator?” Mwalimu Rachel said.
She explained that the MC or moderator is supposed to control the room and guide the audience during such high-level events. She added that if things go out of control, there are also security teams who can be called to restore order.
“Because that was your job. To control the room, to command the room,” Mwalimu Rachel said.
She further noted that the MC should have acted quickly when the disruption started, including asking security to intervene if necessary. She said maintaining silence is part of ensuring the speaker delivers their message clearly.
“And if everything is a miss, for you ask security whether to check what the problem is or to tell the people to be quiet,” Mwalimu Rachel explained.
Reports from the event
Emmanuel Macron was seen walking onto the stage during a group presentation at the University of Nairobi. He appeared frustrated by ongoing chatter and interruptions from parts of the audience during the session.
“Excuse me, everybody. Hey, hey, I’m sorry, guys, but it is impossible to speak about culture to have people like this who are super inspired coming here, making a speech with such a noise,” Macron said during the interruption.
The French president went on to describe the situation as disrespectful, urging those who were not interested in the presentation to step outside.
