President William Ruto narrowly escaped injury on Sunday when he blocked a shoe hurled toward his head during a public address in Kehancha Town, Migori County.
The dramatic moment, captured in a viral video trending on social media, occurred as the President spoke from a raised dais surrounded by a large, animated crowd.
The incident took place during a three-day working tour of Migori, where Ruto had launched a 298-unit affordable housing project and attended an interdenominational prayer service at Kadika Primary School in Suna East Constituency.
While addressing residents on efforts to lower the cost of living, the President was forced to pause his speech briefly after deflecting the shoe, which slipped past his General Service Unit (GSU) security team.
Photos from the Presidential Communication Service showed Ruto on a small mounted platform, with GSU officers forming a barrier on the ground to manage the crowd.
However, the raised dais left the President exposed, and security personnel struggled to contain the excited gathering.
Amateur footage revealed constant chatter and movement among the hundreds of attendees, signalling potential unrest.
One GSU officer quickly intervened after the shoe was thrown, but no arrests were reported at the scene.
President Ruto amerushiwa kiatu pic.twitter.com/rAE5u7jc8j— Ole Teya (@TeyaKevin) May 4, 2025
