NAIROBI, Kenya- Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja has ordered an urgent three-day inquiry into a security incident that occurred today during the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) event in Wajir County.
The incident involved an unidentified man who briefly ran towards the podium while President Dr William Samoei Ruto was addressing the crowd, but was swiftly restrained by security officers with no breach of the President’s safety, police confirmed.
The NYOTA programme, a flagship youth empowerment initiative under President Ruto’s administration that disburses start-up capital to young entrepreneurs, was underway at Wajir Stadium when the disruption occurred.
Video footage shared widely on social media shows the man unexpectedly breaking from the crowd and dashing toward the podium as the President was speaking, prompting an immediate response from the presidential security detail.
In a statement, the National Police Service (NPS) said the individual was quickly apprehended before he could reach the President or pose a risk to other dignitaries and members of the public.
The NPS emphasised that President Ruto’s safety was never compromised and that the event continued without further interruption following the swift response by security officers.
President Ruto was seen in several clips urging restraint from his security team, telling them to “leave him alone” and that he would speak with the man later, a response that echoes earlier similar incidents at NYOTA events.
In his directive, IG Kanja formed a team to conduct a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident to identify any procedural gaps that may have contributed to the security lapse.
The inquiry is expected to be completed within three days, after which recommendations for remedial measures will be issued.
The NPS reaffirmed its commitment to protecting public safety and ensuring robust protocols at high-profile public engagements.
The man at the centre of today’s incident, later identified in media reports as an aspirant for a local political position, told reporters he did not intend harm but wanted to speak with the President directly about his ambitions, reflecting the increasingly bold attempts by some participants to engage the Head of State in person.
Today’s scare is not the first of its kind.
Just days earlier, a separate security breach occurred at a NYOTA event in Mombasa County, where another man ran towards the stage and was restrained by presidential security without harm, underscoring the challenges of crowd control at large public gatherings.
The NYOTA programme, which has seen multi-billion-shilling disbursements rolled out across the country as part of a broader strategy to stimulate youth entrepreneurship, draws thousands of participants to each event, a factor analysts say requires heightened vigilance in security planning and implementation.
The three-day inquiry ordered by IG Kanja is expected to examine the security protocols in place at the Wajir event and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents at future functions involving the President and other senior officials.
