Kenyan President William Ruto has drawn criticism after comments about Nigerian-accented English sparked backlash on social media, the BBC reported.
Speaking to Kenyans living in Italy, Ruto said that Kenyan English was among the best in the world and suggested that Nigerian English could be difficult to understand, prompting laughter from the audience.
The remarks were widely criticized online, with users from Nigeria and other African countries accusing him of belittling a fellow nation. Some commentators emphasized that English, as a colonial language, should not be used as a measure of intelligence or national development.
Both Kenya and Nigeria use English as an official language, but each has developed distinct spoken forms influenced by local languages. Nigeria, which has more than 500 languages, has a widely recognized variety known as Nigerian English.
The comments also prompted references to Nigeria’s literary heritage, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Some critics urged Ruto to focus on domestic issues such as the cost of living and unemployment, while others defended the remarks as humorous and taken out of context.
