'I was misquoted; Nigeria speaks excellent English': Kenya's President clarifies viral comment

• President Ruto said the initial comments on Nigeria's spoken English were a private conversation that wasn't meant to be public.

• Ruto claimed that his comments were misrepresented.

• He added that Nigerians speak excellent English just like Kenyans.

While speaking at a recent event which had in attendance several high-profile dignitaries from different African countries, including Nigeria's Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, President William Ruto clarified the statement he made on Nigeria's spoken English.

According to Ruto, his statement was meant to be a private conversation, which subsequently found its way online and was misinterpreted to be a jab at Nigerians.

"I was speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere. It was supposed to be a private conversation, but someone decided that it should be public," Ruto said.

The President clarified that what he intended to say was that Nigerians spoke very good English, just like the Kenyans, so much so that if you were to visit either country and speak poor English, you would require a translator.

"They also misrepresented the facts. The facts are 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 don't speak excellent English, like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator for you to understand the excellent English of Nigeria. That was the comparison before someone took it out of context," President Ruto clarified.

Readers will recall that Pulse Nigeria reported the viral clip where Kenya's President said Nigeria's spoken English required a translator to be comprehensible. The video, which circulated online, sparked reactions with Nigerians tagging it a dig at the country. The comment was considered a reply to Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu's statement telling Nigerians to be thankful that they are better off than Kenyans despite the current economic hardship.

Ruto's clarification further captures the light-hearted nature of his comment on Nigeria's spoken English. At the event, he asked Minister Dele Alake to send his regards to Nigeria's president and the great people of the country and also joked that he hopes there will be no consequences of his statement from his Nigerian in-laws.

President Ruto, whose daughter June Ruto got married to a Nigerian, Dr Alexander Ezenagu, in 2021, has in the past joked about the trend of Kenyan women marrying Nigerian men and described it as a brain drain.