By our reporter 24.4.2026
Kenyan President William Ruto has poked fun at Nigerians, saying nobody understands the English they speak.
While addressing Kenyans living in Italy, Mr. Ruto said. “If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying – you need a translator.”
He said Kenyans spoke “some of the best English in the world”.
But Nigerians and other Africans on social didn’t fine his joke funny
“Ruto is mocking the English of the country with a Nobel Prize for literature winner. The Nation of Achebe and Chimamanda,” Shehu Sani, former senator, said on X,
“One moment Kenya’s President is complaining about Nigerian men marrying Kenyan ladies, another moment he is saying we need a ‘translator’,” another X user said.
“English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress,” wrote Hopewell Chin’ono, a Zimbabwean journalist.
Below are top 10 best English-speaking countries in Africa (EF EPI 2025):
1. South Africa – South Africa ranks first in the continent with a global ranking of 13th and EF EPI score of 602, which places then among countries with very high English proficiency globally.
2. Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe ranks second although it has the same global ranking of 13th as South Africa and an EF EPI score of 602. This report places the two countries as leaders in the continent with English proficiency.
3. Kenya – Kenya comes third with a global ranking of 19th and an EF EPI score of 593. This report places Kenya among countries with high English proficiency globally.
4. Zambia – Zambia has a global ranking of 27th and an EF EPI score of 573. This report places Zambia among countries with high English proficiency globally.
5. Nigeria – Nigeria often referred as Africa’s giant comes fifth with a global ranking of 29th and an EF EPI score of 568. This places the country among global countries with high English proficiency.
6. Ghana – Ghana comes sixth with a global ranking of 36th and an EF EPI score of 540. This places the country among global countries with moderate English proficiency.
7. Uganda – Uganda comes seventh with a global ranking of 53rd and an EF EPI score of 518. This places the country among global countries with moderate English proficiency.
8. Ethiopia – Ethiopia comes eighth with a global ranking of 65th and an EF EPI score of 499. This places the country among global countries with low English proficiency
President Ruto...