A shoe thrown from the crowd struck Kenya’s President William Ruto on Sunday while he was addressing a rally in the town of Kehancha, Migori County, in Western Kenya.
A short video of the incident circulating online shows the shoe hitting the president’s left arm mid-speech. Security personnel immediately responded to shield the head of state, though the projectile had already made contact.
As of the time of reporting, no official statement had been released regarding the incident.
President Ruto was in Migori for the start of a three-day development tour aimed at promoting government projects in the region. Migori County, located more than 370 kilometres west of Nairobi, has traditionally been a stronghold of the opposition, led by Raila Odinga — Ruto’s former presidential rival and now a political partner under a recent cooperation pact.
Since taking office in September 2022, Ruto’s administration has faced growing public discontent over economic issues, including high taxes and the rising cost of living. This has occasionally led to public hostility during his nationwide engagements.