Kenyans and Tanzanians on social media have playfully bantered over recent remarks made by their respective presidents regarding their proficiency in speaking Swahili.
Swahili serves as the primary language in both East African nations, yet Kenyans have often faced jests for their perceived challenges in using standard Swahili, while Tanzanians have similarly endured teasing for their English language skills.
During a recent agriculture and food summit in Tanzania, President Samia Hassan light-heartedly chided her Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for not employing proper Swahili greetings. She remarked, “The other day [Mr] Ruto came here and taught us to say ‘jambo,’ but the correct term is ‘habari ya mchana.’ These Kenyans…we should enroll them in Swahili lessons.”
CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, who hails from Kenya and was hosting the forum, came to the defense of his president, saying, “I must stand up for my president… because Kenyans and Tanzanians are like siblings; we converse with Tanzanians in imperfect Swahili, and Tanzanians respond to us in less-than-perfect English. We carry on like that, as if it’s gospel,” he humorously declared in Swahili, evoking laughter from the audience.
This exchange underlines the warm relationship and shared cultural bonds between these neighboring nations.