Kibra woman grips Ruto’s hand after push from bodyguard

A woman from Soweto in Kibra, Nairobi, has become the talk of the town following a brief but unexpected incident during President William Ruto’s inspection of the Affordable Housing project in the area on Friday.

In a video seen by the Star and has since gone viral, the woman, part of a crowd gathered to welcome the Head of State, is seen stretching out her hand to greet the President.

As Ruto responds by extending his hand, one of his security officers, unaware of the interaction, steps in and inadvertently shoves the woman.

At that moment, her hand, already in contact with the President’s, appears to hold on briefly, resulting in a slight pull that momentarily draws the President toward her.

The encounter prompted a swift reaction from the President, who intervened to de-escalate the situation.

The woman was then allowed to shake his hand before returning to the crowd

The incident has since sparked conversation on social media, with many Kenyans weighing in on crowd control and the coordination of presidential security during public engagements.

It comes just weeks after a separate incident in Migori, where President Ruto narrowly avoided being hit by a flying shoe while addressing a crowd.

Footage from that event, also widely circulated, shows the President pausing briefly after the object passed close to him, before calmly resuming his speech.

Security officers quickly stepped in to manage the situation.

According to Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, Dennis Itumbi, the Migori episode was a misunderstood moment that escalated unintentionally.

“Having reviewed the Migori footage, the facts are clear. What started as a light moment quickly escalated. That was just a moment that got out of hand,” Itumbi said in a statement, accompanied by new footage showing the context behind the viral video.

In the clip, a man in the crowd is seen raising a shoe, seemingly mimicking those filming with their phones. 

A hand then appeared from next to him, hit the shoe, and that is when it flew towards where the Head of State was standing, addressing them.