Anger after Ruto mocks Nigerian English

Kenyan President William Ruto has faced a social media backlash after publicly suggesting that Nigerian-accented English was incomprehensible and required a translator, reports BBC News. Addressing Kenyans living in Italy last Monday, Ruto said: ‘If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don't know what they are saying – you need a translator,’ while boasting that Kenyans spoke ‘some of the best English in the world’. His remarks drew fierce condemnation from Nigerians and other Africans online who accused the Kenyan leader of demeaning a fellow African nation. ‘English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress,’ wrote Hopewell Chin'ono, a Zimbabwean journalist. Many social media users criticised the Kenyan leader for showcasing a ‘deep inferiority complex rooted in colonial conditioning’. ‘Ruto is mocking the English of the country with a Nobel Prize for literature winner. The nation of Achebe and Chimamanda,’ former Nigerian senator Shehu Sani posted on X, referring to Wole Soyinka – the country's only Nobel Prize winner – along with acclaimed authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Other social media users urged Ruto to focus on addressing pressing issues facing his citizens – such as the cost of living and unemployment – rather than engaging in what they described as distractions. Earlier this month, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu faced a backlash from Kenyans online after stating that Nigerians were ‘better off than those in Kenya and other African countries’ despite rising fuel prices at home. While Ruto did not make a direct reference to any specific comment, some online interpretations suggested his remarks may be in response to Tinubu's comments.

Meanwhile, the Tanzanian Government has hit back at Ruto's controversial remarks regarding Kenya’s infrastructure compared with other East African nations. Ruto, during a church service on 19 April, defended Kenya’s high fuel prices, stating that the country, as a middle-income economy, carries a heavier burden in maintaining its road network, reports the Kenyans. He said Kenya has about 20 000km of tarmac roads, claiming that this exceeds the combined total of neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the DRC. However, President Sami Suluhu’s administration dismissed his remarks that fellow East African countries were lagging, terming Ruto's claims as false and misleading. A Tanzanian Minister clarified that their country alone has 16 000km of tarmac roads, 4 000km less than that of Kenya. He went on to state that when combined with other East African nations, the total tarmac road network exceeds 22 000km. ‘So those figures belittling us as other East African countries, those figures mentioned are untrue,’ the Tanzanian minister added. Tanzania's response to Ruto's claims has sparked a fresh wave of debate over the region's economic supremacy amidst the ongoing global fuel crisis.