There was scare and panic in Kilifi after President William Ruto’s speech was briefly disrupted by an anxious intruder in a security breach incident.
This puts the top officials at the Presidential Escort Unit on the spot as it is the latest such incident to happen in a row.
No one was injured in the Sunday afternoon incident but it left many shocked and worried about the president’s security.
The incident, which played out in full glare of cameras, saw the man make his way to the podium as Ruto was delivering his speech during the thanksgiving ceremony of Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs.
Ruto was forced to cut short his speech as his security personnel struggled to tackle the invader to hustle him out of the public vicinity.
Amid the chaos, Ruto, who was clearly shaken by the whole ordeal, nearly lost his balance as the podium intruder was roughly taken away by security.
In the commotion, Ruto nearly lost his footing as he also shrugged off the man who had grabbed his shoulder.
He urged his security team to ease up on the intruder, who had already been subdued by officers.
At one point, Ruto was heard telling the security personnel, “Leave that young man alone.”
He knew they could harm him in the drama.
Moments after the incident, a visibly shaken Ruto attempted to play down the incident, insisting the incident was nothing to worry about.
“That young man has no problem. I think he learned from Fikirini Jacobs not to miss any opportunity. I will deal with him later,” Ruto said in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
The latest incident comes three months after Ruto experienced a similar ordeal in Wajir County.
On February 12, Ruto was in Wajir for the disbursement of Nyota funds, startup capital, when the incident occurred.
The young man came from the right side of the podium, approaching from Ruto’s blind side as the Head of State addressed the crowd.
However, Ruto’s security team sprang into action, tackling the man before reaching the most protected man in the country.
Six days earlier, on February 6, while in Mombasa, an unidentified man ran onto the podium while the President was speaking, but Ruto intervened and urged his security detail to let the man speak.
In May 2025, the head of state narrowly escaped a shoe aimed at his head, blocking it with his arm while addressing a rally in Migori County.
Following the Migori incident, Ruto’s security detail was reportedly revamped and enhanced.
A few rallies that followed saw the Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) enforcing strict crowd and VIP control measures, including restraining people from getting too close to the president.
However, the series of incidents that have followed raises concerns over the responsiveness of Ruto’s security detail, with many asking how easy it has become for anyone to reach the president.
Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police Noah Maiyo is the Presidential Escort Unit Commandant.
The president also has the Presidential Escort Unit which is a fully-fledged team, that can handle the movement of the President and his family anytime.
They, however, usually get the help of the local police whenever the President visits.
Together with his family, the President has about 200 security guards from the GSU.
As part of security measures, they don’t allow armed police officers, especially those with rifles, at the events, apart from their members.
Whenever the President moves, the local police commander has to ensure the movement is guarded. If he stops to address a gathering, tens of local officers are deployed.
The President enjoys some of the best police officers’ services as they are drawn from various units and trained on a common agenda.
Other than police officers, officials from the National Intelligence Service also provide crucial services to the President.
