William Ruto of Kenyan
President William Ruto of Kenyan has said that his remarks on Nigerian English were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
Ruto, who gave the explanation at the Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi on Tuesday, said the remarks were made in a private conversation.
Ruto had drawn the ire of Nigerians a few days ago when he addressed Kenyans living Italy. At that event, he praised Kenya’s education system, noting: “Our education is good. Our English is good. We speak some of the best English in the world.
“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.”
‘My in-laws’
Giving clarity to his comments on Tuesday at the conference, Ruto said: “I want to send my regards to my brothers and sisters in Nigeria… my in-laws.
“Tell President Tinubu that I said ‘hi’. And tell him I said that in good English… so that there will be no consequences.
“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.
“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.
“So that was the comparison. But somebody misrepresented the facts.”
