NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 28 \u2013 President William Ruto has clarified his recent remarks on English usage, saying his comments were taken out of context after what he believed was a private conversation was recorded and circulated widely online.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Tuesday during the Mining Summit in Nairobi, the President said the now-viral remarks were never intended for public interpretation in the way they were shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was misquoted. I hope there will be no consequences,\u201d Ruto said, a comment that drew laughter and applause from delegates in attendance.<\/p>\n
He added that he had been addressing fellow citizens in what he assumed was a closed setting when the discussion was recorded and later published online.<\/p>\n
Ruto insisted that the circulation of the clip distorted the original intent of his message.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was captured speaking to my fellow citizens, but they misrepresented the facts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Head of State also used the platform to send greetings to Nigerian leadership, referencing his cordial ties with President Bola Tinubu.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease pass my regards, Minister, to President Tinubu, my friend, and to Nigerians who are my in-laws, and do so in good English,\u201d he said humorously.<\/p>\n
Ruto further explained that his broader point was about the shared use and strength of English across African countries, including Kenya and Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was talking about how we in Africa speak good English \u2014 all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added, in a light-hearted remark that sparked laughter in the room: \u201cIn some countries like Nigeria, if you do not speak excellent English like the one we speak in Kenya, you might need a translator to understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President stressed again that the statement had been distorted in its online circulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone decided to take it out of context,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The comments had already drawn attention in Nigeria, prompting a response from Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Henry Dele Alake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bring good tidings from the President and the people of the Republic of Nigeria. The people of Nigeria have mandated me to inform you and assure you that Nigerians speak good English,\u201d Alake said, responding in a similarly light tone.<\/p>\n
The clarification comes days after Ruto\u2019s earlier comments at the Africa We Build Summit, where he praised Kenya\u2019s education system and workforce competitiveness.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur education is good. Our English is good. We have one of the best English-speaking people in the world,\u201d he said at the forum.<\/p>\n
He then made a comparative remark referencing Nigeria, which drew mixed reactions online: \u201cIf you listen to a Nigerian speak English, you will need a translator, even when they are speaking English.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President was speaking in the context of a broader argument on human capital development, noting that Kenya\u2019s workforce is strong but requires continuous upskilling to remain globally competitive.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that education and training remain central to improving productivity and strengthening Africa\u2019s position in global markets.<\/p>\n
The exchange has since triggered lively debate across social media platforms, with users from both countries engaging in discussions on language, identity, and regional pride.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 28 \u2013 President William Ruto has clarified his recent remarks on English usage, saying his comments were taken out of context after what he believed was a private conversation was recorded and circulated widely online. Speaking on Tuesday during the Mining Summit in Nairobi, the President said the now-viral remarks were never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}