State House Digital Strategist Dennis Itumbi has offered a new explanation regarding the viral incident in which President William Ruto appeared to be struck in the face by a shoe during a public address.
The video, which quickly gained traction online, had sparked a wave of controversy and raised questions about the president’s security. However, Itumbi has downplayed the incident, presenting a different perspective on the events that transpired.
Through one of his official communication channels, Itumbi shared a new video that offers a fresh angle of the incident, captured directly in front of President Ruto.
The footage, which sheds light on the moments leading up to the shoe’s flight, shows an unidentified man playfully holding up a dusty shoe amidst a sea of mobile phones recording the president’s speech.
Itumbi said, “A funny joke spiralled out of control. As everyone pulled out their phones to record the President, one person — without a phone — jokingly held up a shoe instead. Someone nearby, irritated and with a blocked view, thought the shoe was in the way and slapped it aside. Unfortunately, it flew straight and hit the President.”
According to Itumbi, the man was not attempting to throw the shoe at the president but rather was using it comically as a substitute for a mobile phone to record the speech.
“It was a funny joke that spiraled out of control,” Itumbi explained. He clarified that the individual, without a phone, was attempting to use the shoe as a “shoe-camera” to capture the event. As Ruto began speaking, another individual, irritated by the shoe’s placement in their line of sight, slapped it away—causing it to accidentally fly toward the president, striking him in the face.
The new footage has prompted Itumbi to call for the public’s help in identifying the man using the shoe as a “camera.” He added that a friend, Sam Mburu, was offering a real phone as a gift to the “shoe-cam” creator to encourage him to channel his creativity into proper content creation.
Written by Kelly Were
