Ruto shocked as Makueni woman swears she doesn’t know who he is, never heard of him

President William Ruto was left momentarily stunned and amused after a woman in Makueni County candidly told him she had never seen or heard of him before.

In a video clip that has since gone viral on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the president approached a local woman, who identified herself as Rosemary, standing near a recently constructed bridge to greet her and engage residents about the project’s impact.

Ruto: Habari yako? Unaitwa nani?

Woman: Rosemary.

Ruto: Hii ndio daraja yenu? Ilikuwa inasumbua sana, sasa mambo iko sawa?

Woman: Maji ilikuwa inasumbua watu hapa.

Ruto: Unajua hawa watu, ni wageni sana?

Woman: Eeeh

Ruto: Mimi ni mgeni pia?

Woman: Eeh.

Ruto: “Hujawaikuniona?”

Woman: Sijawaikukuona.

The President laughed off the unexpected response, continuing to explain that the new bridge would protect the community from floods and improve safety.

“Hii daraja yenu tumetengeneza, watu watakuwa salama, maji haitawasumbua, mafuriko haitawasumbua, si ndio hivyo? Alafu sasa huko juu nitasukuma hiyo barabara,” he told her.

The incident occurred as President Ruto kicked off his week-long development tour of the Ukambani region, where he launched several infrastructure and land reform projects.

In Makueni, he officially launched the construction of the 20-kilometre Emali–Matiliku road, part of the larger 42-kilometre Emali–Ukia corridor in Ndundune.

The Ksh1.1 billion project is expected to enhance market access by linking trading centres, including Kativani, Manywani, Matiliku, Kalamba, Nziu, and Ukia, as well as connecting Wote town to major transport routes leading to Nairobi, Kajiado, and Mombasa.

According to Ruto, the project will significantly cut transport costs, expand trade in perishable goods and livestock, and reduce post-harvest losses for farmers.

Title Deed Issuance

Further, the President also presided over the issuance of land title deeds in Emali and Kilome, part of the government’s ongoing land reforms in the region.

He handed out 2,000 title deeds to beneficiaries in the Kinyoo Settlement Scheme, Emali, and another 2,140 to residents of Kasikeu, Kilome.

In total, the government plans to issue 58,000 title deeds across Makueni, Kitui, and Machakos counties to enhance land tenure security and unlock economic potential.

“We are addressing land ownership challenges to give Kenyans confidence to invest in their property and access credit to improve their livelihoods,” Ruto said.