Do Kenyans speak better English than Nigerians? Or is it the other way round? Well, this has been the question sparking social media buzz recently following comments by Kenyan President William Ruto, who reportedly claimed that Kenyans speak better English than Nigerians, while hailing the Kenyan education system.
President Ruto was quoted by local media last week as saying Kenyans “speak some of the best English in the world” while “you need a translator” to understand Nigerians when they speak English.
The comments sparked banter between Kenyans and Nigerians. However, President Ruto later said his remarks were part of “a private conversation” that leaked and was taken out of context.
Speaking at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference in Nairobi on 28 April, attended by a Nigerian delegation including the Minister of Solid Minerals, Henry Dele Alake, Ruto said what he meant was that Nigerians speak “excellent” English, as Kenyans do.
“It was supposed to be a private conversation, but somebody decided that it should be public, but they also misrepresented the facts. The facts are that I was talking about how we in Africa speak very good English. All of us.”
“In fact, in some countries like Nigeria, if you don’t speak excellent English like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator, you know, for you to understand the excellent English of Nigeria. So, that was the comparison, but somebody decided to take it out of context.”
English proficiency
According to Education First 2025 data, South Africa leads Africa in English proficiency. Zimbabwe is number two, Kenya number three and Zambia number four, while Nigeria is at number five.
The Education First Standard English Test is one of the world’s largest rankings of countries and regions by English skills, using an online survey to assess reading, listening, speaking and writing abilities.
The latest Kenya-Nigeria banter has reignited debate about education systems in Africa, the continent’s colonial past and the fate of indigenous languages.
Experts caution that judging people’s intelligence and quality of education based on their eloquence in English or French could be grossly erroneous.
Others say it is also an indication of a lasting colonial mentality, relegating Africa’s rich indigenous languages.
Both Kenya and Nigeria are former British colonies and have English as their official language.
Swahili is also an official language in Kenya, where other indigenous languages include Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin and Luo, while Nigeria’s most widely spoken languages include Hausa, Fulfulde, Yoruba and Igbo, as well as hundreds of others.
