Wantam Chants Break Out At Maa Cultural Festival As Chairs Fly And Crowds Flee During Ruto Visit

Wantam chants reportedly broke out at the Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival in Narok on Saturday. The chants cut through the cultural celebrations attended by President William Ruto.

The fourth edition of the festival was held at Sekenani Gate of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. It brought together Maa-speaking communities from Narok and Kajiado and Samburu and beyond.

Ruto attended the closing events dressed in a red Maasai shuka and a wide-brimmed hat. He commissioned the Ushanga-Curio Mall and received blessings from elders. Some local leaders pledged support for his re-election citing the handover of Amboseli National Park and other projects.

The gathering was disrupted by chaos. Rival groups linked to Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo clashed near the main dais as Ruto arrived. Attendees in traditional red shukas fled as plastic chairs were thrown and scattered across the ground.

Journalists evacuated their equipment. Some reports indicated injuries. Security officers from the Presidential Escort Unit and the GSU reinforced the area.

Governor Ntutu and Senator Ledama Olekina appealed for calm. This allowed the programme to resume under heightened security.

Amid the tension videos circulating on X captured sections of the crowd breaking into Wantam chants. The slogan is shorthand for one term. It has become a popular expression of opposition to Ruto seeking a second term in 2027.

Posts described Maasai participants joining the chants. Some captions said Maasai wako wantam and linked the moment to resistance against political domination of the pastoralist community.

The chants added a layer of political discontent to an event framed as cultural unity and tourism promotion.

The incident highlights how local rivalries and national anti-incumbent sentiment can surface even at community festivals.

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