Heavy security as Ruto mingles cautiously with crowds after Kilifi scare

President Ruto addresses residents after laying the foundation stone for the Makupa mixed use development market in Mvita constituency, Mombasa County, on May 25, 2026. [PCS]

President William Ruto avoided the frequent mingling and handshakes with the crowds on Monday in Kilifi after his security was bolstered following the Sunday incident.

Layered security of mean-looking armed men walked alongside his motorcade as he greeted the enthusiastic crowds that were kept metres away from his car.

The General Service Unit (GSU) officers, armed to the teeth, were also seen standing in the crowds, leaving nothing to chance.

Since he arrived at the Coast region, the Head of State has freely mingled and greeted the crowds as local leaders and their security teams kept a close distance.

On Saturday at one of the functions in Malindi, the immediate former Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) Commandant, Noah Maiya, briefly engaged in a confrontation with the security detail of a Cabinet Secretary.

In the clip that has gone viral, Mining Cabinet Secretary Hasan Joho is seen pleading with Maiyo to stop pushing the said officer away.

The president's security arrangement was greatly improved after Sunday's incident in Ganze, Kilifi County.

While delivering his speech after the commissioning of the Mariakani Sub-Station in Kaloleni, the president maintained a distance from the crowd, unlike in the past few days.

President Ruto’s security detail surrounded and walked alongside the vehicle as he addressed residents.

Other members of his security team walked in front of his vehicle and guided his driver while clearing the way.

Further, unlike before, the officers tactically positioned themselves to provide a layered security.

On Sunday, a man holding a Bible, managed to breach the security and joined the president on the stage while he was making his address at a Thanksgiving service for Youth Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs.

The moment with the head of state was, however, short-lived as security officers tackled him and whisked him away, but the president ordered them to stop manhandling him.

The whereabouts of the man remain unknown.