A dramatic spectacle unfolded in Migori County, western Kenya, on Sunday, when President William Ruto was struck on the arm by a flying shoe while addressing a rally.
This development has been regarded as a shocking security breach that has left the Kenyan government fuming, according to the BBC.
Viral footage of the scene captures the moment the projectile, believed to be a shoe, slammed into the president’s left arm as he stood with it raised, speaking to a crowd during his development tour of the region.
The government, in full damage-control mode, has described the act as “shameful.”
Reports indicated that three suspects have already been arrested, though the police are yet to officially confirm this.
The now-infamous moment has sparked nationwide debate, with some lawmakers calling it a disgrace and a grave security lapse.
Dennis Itumbi, a top communications aide in Ruto’s office, tried to downplay the matter, calling it a “moment that got out of hand.”
He shared an alternate video, claiming someone jokingly lifted a shoe pretending it was a camera, a move that backfired when another person slapped it away, sending it flying straight at the president.
Despite the blunder, President Ruto kept his composure, even asking security officers to leave the crowd alone after the chaos.
Interestingly, the official video shared by Ruto’s account edited out the embarrassing incident, though a brief disturbance in the crowd was visible before the footage cut off.
This episode comes just days after growing concerns over the safety of public officials.
Last week, an opposition MP was shot dead in the capital, Nairobi, by gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected assassination.
Nelson Koech, an MP in the president’s party, said Sunday’s incident was an “affront to our democracy” adding that “we have taken a joke too far”.
“You can imagine if that shoe was a bullet… people joke about the security of the president. It took a very bold step for someone to take their shoe and throw it at the president. We must secure the head of state,” he told local station Citizen TV.
Migori is in a region considered to be a stronghold of veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga. Odinga ran against Ruto in the 2022 presidential election but has since made a deal with the president.
The agreement signed in March between Odinga and Ruto was “to help ease the prevailing tension in the country”, following deadly anti-tax demonstrations last year.
Since he became president in 2022, Ruto has faced protests from Kenyans frustrated with the cost of living and increased taxes.
https://saharareporters.com/2025/05/05/shoe-thrown-kenyan-president-ruto-during-rally