Kenyan President William Ruto has come under heavy criticism online after making a remark about how Nigerians speak English one many people felt crossed the line.
Speaking to Kenyans living in Italy, Ruto joked that Nigerian-accented English can be hard to understand, saying you’d “need a translator” to follow it.
He went on to praise Kenya’s education system, adding that Kenyans speak “some of the best English in the world.”
The comment drew laughter from his audience, but it didn’t land the same way online.
Back in Nigeria and across other parts of Africa, reactions were swift and critical. Many people accused him of putting down a fellow African country over something as nuanced as an accent.
Critics pointed out that English, after all, isn’t native to either country it’s a colonial legacy shaped differently in each place.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono summed up one common reaction: English isn’t a measure of intelligence or progress, so mocking how people speak it misses the point entirely.
There’s also a deeper context. Both Kenya and Nigeria have rich linguistic diversity, and that naturally influences how English sounds in each country.
Nigeria alone has over 500 languages, which shape its rhythm and pronunciation, while Kenya’s mix of Bantu, Nilotic, and Cushitic languages creates its own distinct accents.
Some Nigerians fired back by highlighting the country’s global literary reputation, referencing figures like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as proof that language mastery goes far beyond accent.
Others took a more political angle, suggesting Ruto should focus on domestic issues like cost of living and unemployment instead of making comments that spark unnecessary rivalry.
That said, not everyone saw it as offensive. Some Kenyans defended the president, arguing it was just light humour that people took too seriously.
Still, the episode taps into a familiar patternonline rivalry between Nigerians and Kenyans, often playful but sometimes tense, especially when politics enters the mix.
