Kenyan President William Ruto has stirred up a storm on social media with his provocative question about the romantic prowess of Kenyan men, as an increasing number of the country’s women are choosing to marry Nigerians.
To add a personal touch to the story, it’s worth noting that Mr Ruto’s daughter, June, married a Nigerian, Alexander Ezenagu, an assistant professor of taxation and commercial law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, in 2021.
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Mr Ruto, who previously served as Kenya’s first elected deputy president, made the remark that went viral as a guest at his friend’s daughter’s wedding on 2 June.
In the video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, he jokingly warned of the consequences of the growing trend.
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He said, “My daughter is married to a Nigerian, and this one (referring to his friend’s daughter) is again marrying a Nigerian, and our guys (men) around, I don’t know. Are you too slow?”
“We need to balance this scale; at this stage, we will have a brain drain from Kenya. I think there’s something between Kenya and Nigeria, we should pick it up further.”
Nigerians
Additionally, Mr Ruto teased Nigerian guests at the wedding, particularly the groom.
He added that the groom arm-twisted his friend into accepting extravagant gifts in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
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“Nigerians are very complicated people, and you intimidated him into accepting all this. So, that is why I proposed to come. Although my diary was full, I wanted to see this Nigerian who had come to harass my friend. But I was told you have been well-behaved since this morning.
“I have asked whether you have done what was needed, and he has given me a brief. Consider yourself lucky I was not here, because you would have been in trouble. But because it’s done and I can’t reverse it anyway,” said Mr Ruto.
Reactions
Mr Ruto’s comments sparked a wave of positivity among netizens, with many praising Nigerian men for their global representation.
Some attributed the appeal to Nigerian men’s romantic nature, sweetness, and attractiveness, leading Kenyan women to marry them.
Below are some of the comments.
