diff --git a/libbpf-tools/runqlat.bpf.c b/libbpf-tools/runqlat.bpf.c
index 911a55066a81..0ad5974a4918 100644
--- a/libbpf-tools/runqlat.bpf.c
+++ b/libbpf-tools/runqlat.bpf.c
@@ -48,6 +48,24 @@ int trace_enqueue(u32 tgid, u32 pid)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static __always_inline unsigned int pid_namespace(struct task_struct *task)
+{
+	struct pid *pid;
+	unsigned int level;
+	struct upid upid;
+	unsigned int inum;
+
+	/*  get the pid namespace by following task_active_pid_ns(),
+	 *  pid->numbers[pid->level].ns
+	 */
+	pid = BPF_CORE_READ(task, thread_pid);
+	level = BPF_CORE_READ(pid, level);
+	bpf_core_read(&upid, sizeof(upid), &pid->numbers[level]);
+	inum = BPF_CORE_READ(upid.ns, ns.inum);
+
+	return inum;
+}
+
 SEC("tp_btf/sched_wakeup")
 int BPF_PROG(sched_wakeup, struct task_struct *p)
 {
@@ -86,7 +104,7 @@ int BPF_PROG(sched_swith, bool preempt, struct task_struct *prev,
 	else if (targ_per_thread)
 		hkey = pid;
 	else if (targ_per_pidns)
-		hkey = next->nsproxy->pid_ns_for_children->ns.inum;
+		hkey = pid_namespace(next);
 	else
 		hkey = -1;
 	histp = bpf_map_lookup_or_try_init(&hists, &hkey, &zero);