“Mimi sikujui” President Ruto left in shock after woman he met in Machakos claimed he doesn’t know him

President William Ruto’s four-day development tour of Ukambani — which on Wednesday saw him commission bridges, launch road works and hand out title deeds in Makueni — produced an unexpected, light-hearted moment that has since gone viral online: a local woman told the head of state, to the amusement of those around her, that she had never seen him before.

The exchange happened in Kasikeu during the president’s visit to open the Kasikeu and Mikuyuni bridges and inspect approach roads. As Mr Ruto walked among residents greeting those gathered, he asked one woman whether she recognised the team before him and whether she knew who he was. The woman replied plainly in Kiswahili, “Sijawahi kukuona” — “I have never seen you.” The response brought laughter from the crowd and a good-natured reaction from the president, who continued to explain the purpose of the visit and listened to residents’ complaints about local challenges such as water shortages and delayed works.

Video clips of the encounter were shared widely across Kenyan social platforms within hours of the stop, with Citizen TV, regional outlets and social media pages carrying the short footage that captured the exchange and the smiles that followed. The clip shows Mr Ruto taking the moment in stride: after the woman’s reply he joked and pressed on to reassure residents about the projects being delivered in the area.

Why the moment caught on

Several factors helped the short interaction find a national audience. First, it was an unexpected and human moment: the spontaneous honesty of a resident confronting a head of state with “I don’t know you” contrasts with the usual choreographed exchanges seen at political events. Second, the incident happened amid a flurry of infrastructure announcements — title deeds and road openings — giving the clip a wider frame: it was not merely a joke but part of wider public engagement during a high-profile tour. Newsrooms described it as a “cheerful” interruption to a day of ceremonies.

Online reaction has been mixed. Many Kenyans found the clip amusing and shared it with light commentary, while others used the moment to reflect on voter awareness, media access in rural areas, and the gap between formal politics and everyday life in more remote communities. Some commentators suggested the woman’s answer may reflect limited exposure to national media or simply a candid, tired truth from someone more concerned with local issues — water, roads and schools — than national personalities.

The tour: development work and political optics

Wednesday’s programme in Ukambani was substantive. Government sources and regional press reports say the president commissioned the Kasikeu and Mikuyuni bridges and their approach roads, launched the Emali–Ukia road works, and issued thousands of title deeds to residents — measures the presidency framed as delivering tangible benefits and unlocking local economic potential. Officials present described the events as part of a broader push to improve rural infrastructure and housing and to create jobs linked to construction and land formalisation.

For Mr Ruto, the tour carries both development and political weight. While the public messaging emphasised roads, bridges and land security, such visits also provide leaders an opportunity to meet voters face-to-face and to shore up support in regions that can be politically important ahead of future national cycles. The light moment in Kasikeu — though small — offered a reminder that public encounters can be unpredictable and humanising, and that even a presidential tour can produce off-script laughter.

What people are saying

Local residents at the commissioning applauded the new bridges and title-deed issuance, noting that improved roads will ease travel and trade during the rainy season.

Social media users split between amusement and commentary on civic awareness; some urged patience and empathy for everyday Kenyans who face pressing local problems, while others treated the clip as a humorous viral moment.


Bottom line

The Kasikeu clip offers a short, warm vignette from a day otherwise dominated by policy announcements and infrastructure handovers. Whether it will be remembered as a passing viral laugh or as a small symbol of the distance between national politics and local lives depends on how often those two worlds meet — and on whether subsequent visits bring more visible, everyday improvements to residents’ daily lives. For now, the woman’s frank “Sijawahi kukuona” reminds audiences that the simplest moments often travel fastest online.

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