Kenyan President William Ruto has faced a social media backlash after publicly suggesting that Nigerian-accented English was incomprehensible and required a translator.
Addressing Kenyans living in Italy on Monday, Ruto said: If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don't know what they are saying - you need a translator, while boasting that Kenyans spoke some of the best English in the world.
His remarks drew fierce condemnation from Nigerians and other Africans online who accused the Kenyan leader of demeaning a fellow African nation.
English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress, wrote Hopewell Chin'ono, a Zimbabwean journalist.
As former British colonies, both Kenya and Nigeria share English as an official language, but each country has developed distinct spoken varieties with different phonetic structures.
These differences reflect the influence of indigenous languages - Nigeria has more than 500 languages which shape its cadence and intonation, while Kenya's Bantu, Nilotic and Cushitic mix give rise to its own accents.
But in his address to the diaspora, Ruto insisted that Kenya's education system produced strong English proficiency and that it was difficult to understand Nigerians when they spoke 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 even when they are speaking English, he said, prompting laughter in the room.
His remarks led to widespread reactions on social media, with many criticizing Ruto for demonstrating a deep inferiority complex rooted in colonial conditioning.
Ruto is mocking the English of the country with a Nobel Prize for literature winner. The Nation of Achebe and Chimamanda, former Nigerian senator Shehu Sani posted on X, referring to Wole Soyinka, the country's only Nobel Prize winner, and acclaimed authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Other users urged Ruto to focus on pressing issues facing Kenyan citizens, such as the cost of living and unemployment, rather than engaging in what they deemed distractions.
Online barbs between Kenya and Nigeria are common, often marked by intense, humorous, and sometimes volatile exchanges on social platforms. Earlier this month, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu faced backlash from Kenyans for stating that Nigerians were better off than those in Kenya and other African countries.
While Ruto did not directly reference Tinubu's comments, some interpretations suggested his remarks were a response to the Nigerian leader. No official response from Ruto's government has been issued, but some Kenyans defended him online, arguing critics misunderstood his intent.
Nigeria is home to more English speakers than any other country in Africa. The language has evolved locally into what is often termed Nigerian English—a distinct variety enriched by the country's diverse histories and cultures.
This unique variety increasingly influences global English, with expressions like next tomorrow finding their way into mainstream dictionaries, propelled by Nigeria's active diaspora.
