President Ruto sparks uproar after mocking Nigerians' spoken English.

President William Ruto is facing social media backlash after a light-hearted banter remarks about Nigerian-accented English sparked criticism.

Speaking to Kenyans in the diaspora during an event in Italy, Ruto defended Kenya's education system and English proficiency, drawing laughter from the audience as he compared it with Nigeria.

"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.

"We have some of the best human capital anywhere in the world. We just need to sharpen it with more training," Ruto added.

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

Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono argued that English proficiency should not be used as a benchmark for capability. "English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress," he wrote.

In Nigeria, former lawmaker Shehu Sani also pushed back, referencing the country's global literary standing.

"Ruto is mocking the English of the country with a Nobel Prize for literature winner. The Nation of Achebe and Chimamanda," he posted, alluding to Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and renowned authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Both Nigeria and Kenya, former British colonies, share English as an official language but have evolved distinct accents shaped by indigenous languages and cultural influences.

In 2025, Ruto joked about growing ties between both countries, saying "their daughters all prefer Nigerian men", which he described as causing a "brain drain in Kenya."

Online barbs between Kenya and Nigeria are a frequent occurrence, often marked by intense, humorous and sometimes volatile cyber wars on platforms like X.

Earlier this month, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu faced a backlash from Kenyans online after stating that Nigerians were "better off than those in Kenya and other African countries" despite rising fuel prices at home.