There was panic in Kilifi after President William Ruto's speech was briefly disrupted by an anxious invader, who somehow ditched security protocol to get to the president.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The incident, which played out in full glare of cameras, saw the young individual make his way to the podium as Ruto was delivering his speech during the thanksgiving ceremony of Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs.

In what was a brief but tense moment of confusion, the president was forced to cut short his speech as his security personnel struggled to tackle the invader to hustle him out of Ruto's vicinity.

Amid the chaos, Ruto, who was clearly shaken by the whole ordeal, nearly lost his balance as the podium invader was roughly taken away by security.

📌 What You Need to Know

In the commotion, President William Ruto nearly lost his footing as he urged his security team to ease up on the intruder, who had already been subdued by officers. At one point, Ruto was heard telling the security personnel, “Leave that young man alone.”

Moments after the incident, a visibly shaken President Ruto attempted to play down the incident, insisting the incident was nothing to worry about.

"That young man has no problem. I think he learned from Fikirini Jacobs not to miss any opportunity. I will deal with him later," Ruto said in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

The latest incident comes three months after Ruto experienced a similar ordeal in Wajir County.

On February 12, Ruto was in Wajir for the disbursement of NYOTA funds, startup capital, when the incident occurred.

The young man came from the right side of the podium, approaching from Ruto's blind side as the Head of State addressed the crowd. However, Ruto's security team sprang into action, tackling the man before reaching the most protected man in the country.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke