Tanzania President, Samia Suluhu took a swipe at Kenyan members of parliament over their Swahili knowledge.
During an address to a joint parliamentary sitting on May 5, Suluhu said that the language that the parliamentarians use in their debates is wanting.
She said that Tanzania was impressed with their decision to use Swahili language in their parliamentary proceedings, which is also entertaining.
According to her, she listens to their discussions because she enjoys the Swahili language.
“Your Swahili has many tastes, which on their own are enough entertainment to listen to. I was listening to the speaker struggling to read years in Swahili,” she said.
“But it is impressive that you have been able to form house orders in Swahili and invited John Ndugai to launch them in 2019. This is an indication that we are one, and you want to use more Swahili; but step by step,” Suluhu told the MPs and Senators.
In the joint parliamentary address, the Tanzanian head of state said that her country admires the Kenyan parliamentarians because of the vigor in their house proceedings.
Suluhu also took the chance to thank speakers of both the National Assembly and the Senate for standing with Tanzanians during the funeral of their late President, John Pombe Magufuli.
Even though they couldn’t be physically present in Tanzania, she hailed them for visiting their embassy in Nairobi to pay homage.
Suluhu told parliamentarians that Kenya was the first country she visited on official duty.
In her 2 days tour, Suluhu has reached an agreement with President Uhuru Kenyatta to improve trade ties between the two countries.
As a result, foreign businesspersons from both countries will be allowed to conduct their businesses without much restrictions from either government.
