Nairobi – French President Emmanuel Macron interrupted a youth forum at the University of Nairobi on Monday after a group of attendees began shouting over a speaker during the Africa Forward Summit. The disruption occurred during a panel that also featured Kenyan President William Ruto, where the two leaders discussed technology, education reform, innovation and Africa’s digital future.
As the noise level rose, Macron walked to the podium, took the microphone and asked the audience to quiet down. “Excuse me, everybody… I’m sorry, but it is impossible to talk about culture when there is this kind of noise,” he said, describing the interruption as a “total lack of respect.” He urged those engaged in side conversations to step outside or use separate rooms for bilateral talks, adding that the forum should remain a space for listening and dialogue. The hall fell silent after his remarks, and a portion of the audience applauded as he returned the microphone.
A moderator later described the episode as “cold leadership,” highlighting the tension between the desire for open discussion and the need for decorum in high‑profile events.
President Ruto used the same forum to defend Kenya’s competency‑based education (CBE) reforms, arguing that the new system prepares learners for a rapidly changing global labour market driven by technology and artificial intelligence. “The previous education system was about how much you could remember, memorise and regurgitate,” he said, emphasizing a shift toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and alignment with current labour market demands.
Ruto also pointed to Kenya’s investment in digital infrastructure, noting the recent laying of 30,000 kilometres of fibre‑optic cable and the country’s ambition to become a continental hub for innovation. Macron echoed the praise, commending Kenya’s digital transformation and urging African nations to invest in computing capacity, energy generation and artificial‑intelligence infrastructure.
The youth forum formed part of the broader Africa Forward Summit, which has gathered heads of state, policymakers, entrepreneurs and young innovators from across the continent. The incident underscores the challenges of managing large, diverse audiences while maintaining the focus on substantive policy dialogue.
