President William Ruto has offered insights into the world-class security measures used to keep him safe. President William Ruto told his team to switch off signal jammers. A video circulating on social media shows the president urging members of the public to dial a USSD code during his recent visit to Homa Bay county. “Go to *254#,” he said and repeated the code. The code is for the financial inclusion platform with products such as the Hustler Fund, Women Enterprise Fund, NYOTA project, among others. Why does Ruto’s security jam cellphone networks? However, Ruto then heard murmurs from the crowd as they could not access the USSD. “Oh, there is no network today?” he commented. Ruto admitted that his team was behind the network outage.
“I have my people who like switching off the network,” he said and asked where they were. Someone off-camera responded in the affirmative. Ruto then asked if the network had been restored, but the members of the public said no. “They will organise it just now,” he said. The incident offered insight into the president’s security, which includes signal jammers. According to security company BEL India, signal jammers play a key role in VIP protection. How do signal jammers work? Signal jammers interfere with radio signals that could be exploited for harmful purposes. They can block frequencies used to operate remote-controlled improvised explosive devices, preventing detonation through radio communication. By disrupting GPS and GSM signals, jammers make it difficult for criminals to monitor a VIP’s location or follow their vehicle.
When used in a convoy, they create a secure zone where communication signals are interrupted, shielding all vehicles from remote threats. Jammers are effective during travel, public appearances, or in secure facilities, providing constant security coverage. Many Kenyans were unamused by the president’s directive to switch off the jammers, saying he could compromise his security. Kevin Kololi: “It’s part of security protocols, which can’t be scrapped off by such orders.” Domnic Odak: “It can’t be switched off. He knows nothing about security. There is a team responsible for his life.” Benard Ouma: “He understands that it’s a security measure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the jammers should be switched off.” Waudy Samwel: “In the wake of AI-driven drones, this is mandatory in presidential security.” Ocampo Sita: “They are just concerned about your security, nothing else.”
By William Osoro
