President William Ruto has reacted to criticism over remarks he made about English accents in Africa.
President William Ruto of Kenya has said his comments about Nigerian-accented English were misunderstood, following backlash from Nigerians and other Africans.
President William Ruto has reacted to criticism over remarks he made about English accents in Africa.
Speaking to Kenyans in Italy on Monday, April 20, Ruto praised Kenya’s education system and its command of English.
“Our education is good. Our English is good. We speak some of the best English in the world.”
He then added, “If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying. You need a translator even when they are speaking English,” a comment that drew laughter at the event but later sparked outrage online.
The remarks were widely condemned by Nigerians and other Africans, who accused him of mocking Nigeria.
However, speaking on Tuesday, April 28, at a mining conference in Nairobi, Ruto said his comments had been taken out of context.
“You know, I was speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere, and it was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should be made public. It was also misrepresented,” he said.
He added, “The fact is that I was talking about how we in Africa speak very good English, all of us. In fact, in some countries like Nigeria, if you do not speak excellent English like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator to understand the excellent English of Nigeria.”
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