Kenyan President takes swipe at Nigerians’ spoken English

Kenyan President William Ruto has defended his country’s education system and command of the English language, while taking a swipe at Nigerians’ spoken English.

Ruto made the remarks while addressing Kenyans living in Italy in a video circulating on Thursday.

He said Kenya’s education system produces strong English proficiency and claimed difficulty understanding Nigerians when they speak English.

“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.”

“We have some of the best human capital anywhere in the world. We just need to sharpen it with more training,” he said in a video first posted by Kenyan Digital News on April 20.

While Ruto did not make a direct reference to any specific comment, some online interpretations suggested the remarks may be in response to comments made earlier this month by President Bola Tinubu.

During a visit to Bayelsa State on April 10, 2026, Tinubu acknowledged the hardship caused by rising fuel prices in Nigeria but urged citizens to remain grateful, stating they were “better off” than people in Kenya and other African countries facing tougher economic conditions.

“Let’s just thank God together that you are better off listening to them in Kenya and other African countries. What they are going through,” Tinubu said while inaugurating projects executed by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The remarks come amid broader economic pressures across Africa, including rising fuel prices linked to global supply disruptions, partly driven by tensions in the Middle East and concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

The exchange has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with many users criticising both the comparison and the tone of the remarks.

On X, user L! | Muslimah in Tech wrote, “OMG, Kenya don de sub us. Who we offend? Before na foreign country de give statistics up and down, now our fellow African counterpart said we no Sabi speak beta English.”

Another user, Tzalmon, said, “Tinubu has reduced us to a laughing stock, the other day it was the Ghanaian president and now Kenya’s president, and who knows perhaps we’d get a lash from Somalia one of these days.”

However, Ephrem said, “🇬🇧 colonised 🇳🇬 for 99 years and 🇰🇪 for 68 years, and both countries still have challenges to address. 🇮🇳 under British rule for around 200 years; English not being universally strong, it has achieved significant economic progress English isn’t necessarily a measure of success.”

Throwing a jab at Ruto, Joshua Obi wrote, “This man is a complete moron, when does language become a yardstick to measure good education… You demote your language and speak in other tongue other than your mother’s tongue, then you look back and say you’re educated. You lack common human intelligence.”

Kenya has also experienced economic challenges in recent times, including widespread anti-government protests in 2024 over proposed tax hikes, which led President Ruto to withdraw a finance bill and reshuffle his cabinet under public pressure.