NAIROBI, KENYA — The Kenyan government has condemned as “shameful” an incident involving a shoe being thrown at President William Ruto during a public rally in Kuria West, Migori County on Sunday.
Video footage, widely circulated, captured the moment the footwear struck the president’s left arm as he raised it while addressing the crowd.
Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura denounced the act, calling for the perpetrators to be “apprehended.” In a post on X, he questioned, “What would happen if we all decided to throw shoes at each other? What values are we teaching our children?” He emphasized the need to respect the institution of the presidency.
Kenyan media outlets have reported the arrest of three individuals, though police have yet to confirm these reports. Several Members of Parliament (MPs) have also criticized the shoe-throwing incident, labeling it a significant security lapse.
Dennis Itumbi, a senior official within the president’s office, characterized the incident as a “moment that got out of hand,” suggesting it was accidental. He shared a video on Facebook, captured from a different angle, which he claimed showed an individual lifting a shoe “in jest, pretending to be a camera,” followed by another person slapping it away, “annoyed that the ‘shoe-cam’ blocked his view.”
“Unfortunately, it flew forward… straight toward the president,” he stated.
The president was addressing a public gathering in Migori County, located in western Kenya, as part of a three-day tour of the region where he has been launching and commissioning development projects.
While some Kenyans have expressed sentiments aligning with the view that the shoe-throwing was disrespectful, others have suggested it reflects growing frustration over the nation’s economic conditions.
An official video of the event, shared by the President on X, does not depict the shoe incident, which appears to have occurred off-camera. However, a brief disturbance within the crowd is visible. The President can be heard instructing his security personnel, who appeared to be preparing to identify the culprit, to leave the audience undisturbed. The video then cuts to a blank screen, followed by footage of other individuals addressing the rally.
The shoe-throwing incident has heightened concerns regarding the safety of public officials. This comes shortly after the assassination of an opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Charles Ong’ondo Were in Nairobi last week, who was fatally shot by gunmen on a motorcycle.
Nelson Koech, a Member of Parliament from the president’s party, described Sunday’s incident as an “affront to our democracy,” stating, “we have taken a joke too far.” He added, “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 Vivid Voice News.
Migori is situated in a region considered a stronghold of veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga, who contested the 2022 presidential election against Ruto but has since entered into an agreement with the president.
The agreement, signed in March between Odinga and Ruto, was intended “to help ease the prevailing tension in the country,” following deadly anti-tax demonstrations last year.
Since assuming the presidency in 2022, Ruto has faced protests from Kenyans expressing frustration over the rising cost of living and increased taxes.
