By our reporter 28.4.2026
Kenyan President William Ruto said his recent remarks about how Nigerian spoken English needed interpretation were taken over the board.
Mr. Ruto sparked online fury after he claimed during a visit to Kenyans living in Italy that Nigerians cannot speak good English; he also boasted about the quality of education in his country.
But speaking during a Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi on Tuesday, Ruto said: “Please pass my regards, Minister, to President Tinubu, my friend, and to the great people of Nigeria, who are my in-laws, and do so in good English.
“And, you know, I was captured, I was speaking to my fellow citizens somewhere, and somebody, it was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should be public. But they also misrepresented the facts,” Ruto stated.
He added that his remarks were not made with the intention to insult Nigerians.
“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, you know, for you to understand the excellent English of Nigeria.
“So that was the comparison, but somebody decided to take it out of context. But I think it is as well that we can have this conversation. And my in-laws, I hope there will be no consequences for whatever was done,” he added.