NAROK, Kenya — Chaos briefly disrupted the Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival in Narok County on Saturday, November 14, after rival groups of supporters allegedly allied to Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo and Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu clashed as President William Ruto arrived at the celebrations.
The confrontation interrupted the cultural gathering at Sekenani Gate, with videos reviewed by Vivid Voice News showing groups of people running across the venue as chairs were thrown near the main dais.
Several chairs were seen scattered and broken on the ground as tensions escalated, forcing journalists and media crews to rush to secure and evacuate their equipment.
The clashes broke out as President Ruto approached the main venue, although it was not immediately established whether he had reached the dais when the confrontation started.
Some attendees were also seen carrying traditional Maasai rungus as light showers swept across the vast Mara landscape, adding to the confusion at the event.
The precise cause of the confrontation remained unclear, and Vivid Voice News could not independently establish whether anyone was injured.
Ole Ntutu, Ledama intervene to restore calm
The situation was eventually brought under control after Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and Senator Ledama Olekina appealed to the rival groups to maintain calm.
Their intervention saw the groups return to the podium, allowing the festival to resume after a brief interruption.
Security was subsequently tightened as officers from the Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) and General Service Unit (GSU) moved in to secure the President.
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Images and videos reviewed by Vivid Voice News showed GSU officers forming an all-round security cordon around Ruto, with officers maintaining close surveillance of the crowd while holding their rifles.
The National Police Service (NPS) had not issued an official statement on the confrontation by the time of publication.
Fresh scrutiny of Ruto’s presidential security
The incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of security arrangements surrounding President Ruto during public engagements, following several security-related incidents over the past year.
In May 2026, a man breached the President’s security during a public address in Ganze, Kilifi County, reaching the dais and briefly getting close to Ruto before security officers intervened and removed him.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja subsequently described the incident as a serious security breach and ordered investigations into how the individual managed to access the presidential dais.
The incident prompted changes within the Presidential Escort Unit, with Noah Kirwa Maiyo transferred from the commandant’s position and William Sawe appointed as his replacement after being moved from the Recce Sub-Unit.
Further changes also affected the unit’s deputy commandant and officers serving in specialised police formations.
The latest disruption in Narok is likely to attract further attention to presidential security at public gatherings, particularly where large crowds and competing political interests converge.
Although the festival resumed following the intervention by local leaders, questions remain over what triggered the clashes and whether the confrontation exposed gaps in crowd management at the high-profile event.
