NAIROBI, Kenya — What was meant to be a rally focused on development quickly turned into a public scolding session on Saturday, as President William Ruto found himself addressing more than just roads and projects.
While speaking to residents in Githunguri, Kiambu County — part of his multi-day tour of the Mt Kenya region — the President was forced to call out a rowdy section of the crowd that had heckled Kiambu Woman Representative Anne Wamuratha during her speech.
Wamuratha had barely begun addressing the crowd when scattered jeers grew into a full-on wave of heckling, cutting her short. It was an awkward moment, and President Ruto didn’t let it slide.
Turning to the disruptive crowd, the Head of State lashed out:“Sasa nyinyi, nani aliwafunza kupigia watu makelele? Basi makelele sasa itoshe hapo.”
This candid reprimand wasn’t just about defending a colleague — it was a clear attempt to restore order and steer the conversation back to his development agenda. And in classic Ruto style, the message was as firm as it was folksy.
Ruto forced to end his rally in Githunguri after Kiambu Woman rep Anne Wamuratha was heckled. Kimani Ichungwah did not speak😂
Not the First Rodeo: Ichung’wah Also Heckled
This isn’t an isolated case of a crowd going rogue. Earlier in the week, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah endured a similar experience during Ruto’s stop in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County.
Fresh off a speech by ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, Ichung’wah was met with open hostility as soon as he climbed atop a vehicle to speak.
Despite his best attempts to engage, the chants drowned him out.
BREAKING: Kimani Ichung’wah Badky Heckled in Lari, Kiambu as Ruto Watches👇
In a defiant clapback, the MP told the crowd in Kikuyu dialect, “No one sells me fear,”—but his bravado wasn’t enough to salvage the moment.
The residents simply weren’t buying what he was selling, and his remarks were effectively silenced.
The President’s Mt Kenya development tour—which covered Nyeri and Kiambu counties—was designed to spotlight progress and ongoing government projects.
But what it’s also spotlighting is an electorate growing visibly restless, if not outright combative, toward some of their leaders.
