There was mild drama at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay on Sunday, June 1, after the conclusion, as a woman attempted to intercept President William Ruto's motorcade.
The incident took place shortly after the conclusion of the 62nd Madaraka Day Celebrations, when the president's convoy was exiting the stadium.
In a bizarre moment, the woman breached the tightly secured perimeter in what looked like an attempt to get closer to the Head of State. Expectedly, her actions sparked a swift response from President Ruto's security team, who intercepted her before she made further strides.
President Ruto's convoy came to a stop temporarily as a result of the security breach, as several men in black suits moved to forcefully remove the woman from the roadway. The black-suited men are part of the president's close protection detail.
The woman briefly resisted her eviction from the president's path, but she was eventually overpowered and sent back to the crowd.
Interestingly, footage seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed the woman make a reluctant second attempt to get close to the president, but security maintained a firm grip to ensure the president left the venue without further hitches.
There were hints that there would be incidents during the historic Madaraka Day Celebrations in Homa Bay after it emerged that eager residents camped at the Raila Odinga Stadium on the evening of Saturday, May 31, in anticipation of the event.
Reports suggested that despite the stadium being filled to its capacity, gates were opened on Sunday afternoon to allow for more civilians to attend the event.
The question of President Ruto's safety and security during public outings has also been at the forefront in recent weeks, especially after two recent high-profile incidents.
On May 4, Ruto narrowly escaped a shoe aimed at his head, blocking it with his arm while addressing a large crowd on Sunday, May 4, in Migori County during a three-day development tour.
Prior to the bizarre incident, there were several pointers that the president's safety was likely to be compromised, besides the fact that his platform was fairly close to the residents.
Separately, on May 23, during an event in Kibera, a woman appeared to pull the president in an attempt to grab his attention, quite literally.
As the woman stretched out her hand to greet him, one of Ruto’s bodyguards quickly stepped in and tried to push her away, and during that moment, the woman had not let go of the president’s hand, leading to a loss of balance.
