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‘Nitahama naye!’ Elated Ruto laughs as baby refuses to leave his arms
12th January, 2026 06:50 PM
President William Ruto was seen laughing with delight after a baby refused to leave his arms during an event in Nyeri County.
The clip circulating online shows Ruto carrying a child while interacting with the mother and the crowd, bringing smiles to those present.
He joked about the situation, saying, “Inaonekana huyu mtoto wako nitahama naye.”
The baby, identified as Gathoni, clung to the president when he tried to return her to her mother.
Ruto spoke to her, saying, “Gathoni? Habari yako, my dear,” as he held the child.
He continued playfully, showing her the microphone, “Unataka hii. Gathoni, how are you? Angalia wale wadosi.”
The interaction caused laughter among attendees as the baby refused to leave his arms.
He added, “Amesema…amejua…tutaenda pamoja? Haya, wacha tuendelee. Acha nibebane naye kidogo.” The light-hearted moment was part of the Nyota Capital Disbursement at Kabiruini Showground on Monday, January 12, 2025, where Ruto addressed a crowd.
What you need to know about NYOTA
NYOTA is a five-year national youth empowerment initiative by the government, funded by the World Bank, designed to increase employment, earnings and savings among young people aged 18–29 (and up to 35 for persons with disabilities).
The programme targets vulnerable youth with a Form 4 certificate or below who are unemployed, underemployed, or in low-income jobs.
Ruto had announced on October 24, 2025, a nationwide verification exercise for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. At the time, he had said the exercise would take place in every constituency to identify 100,000 youths who would benefit from the initiative.
Ruto said, “Each selected youth will receive a Ksh50,000 grant to support their business ventures and promote entrepreneurship among young Kenyans.”
He added that the programme aims to empower young people and provide them with practical opportunities to succeed.
It also aims to support youth savings through automatic enrolment into the National Social Security Fund “Haba Haba” savings scheme and boost youth employment systems.
The president had earlier called on leaders across the country to support the exercise.
He said, “Leaders should work together in ensuring that deserving youths are identified,” emphasising the role of local leadership in promoting the programme.
