A video of William Ruto has sparked reactions online after the Kenyan president appeared to mock how Nigerians speak English.
In the clip circulating on social media, Ruto is heard saying:
“Our education and English are good. If you listen to a Nigerian speak English, you’ll need a translator.”
He made the remark while highlighting Kenya’s workforce, arguing that the country has “some of the best human capital in the world” that should be further developed to grow its economy.
The video is widely seen as a possible response to comments made earlier by Bola Ahmed Tinubu about Kenya’s economy during his visit to Bayelsa, where he addressed the fuel hike and drew a comparison to other African countries.
The remarks have since triggered mixed reactions from social media users.
One user wrote, “Kenyans have done nothing wrong so there’s no point disrespecting the people by generalising, but their president should be smarter than this. Pathetic speech, even if Nigerians weren’t the comparism.”
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Another said, “It’s just a shame that we Africans continue to measure intelligence with foreign languages. Imagine telling your brother you’re better than him because you speak another man language better.”
A third user added, “This is colonialism effects bragging about a foreign language, is that even something to be proud off? AFRICAN wake up.”
Another commenter wrote, “The president of a whole country like Kenya, thinks that speaking a foreign language fluently means that Kenyans are well educated. The super rich, independent, and tech advanced countries of this world speak, write and promote their own languages at home and abroad. The colonial brainwashing will take centuries to wear out in black Africa.”
Others also criticised the comparison, with one user stating, “Tinubu is bragging about his economy and this man is responding with English comparison using poorly spoken English?”
Another added, “Someone should tell William Ruto to fix his collapsing economy and IMF debts before mocking Nigerian English. We built Africa’s biggest economy with ‘broken’ accents while Kenya imports translators for basic hustle!”
Watch President William Ruto’s remarks here: https://x.com/i/status/2047380466982883737