On Monday, August 28, residents of Bungoma asked National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula not to address them in English.
The Ford Kenya party leader who was speaking at Sang’alo Institute in Bungoma County during President William Ruto’s five-day development tour in Western had begun his speech in English which did not go down well with locals.
As such, the locals humbly requested the former Foreign Affairs Minister to address them either in their local Bukusu dialect or Swahili.
Wetang’ula, a lawyer by profession lightly agreed and asked Bungma residents not to be like Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who always complained about his fluent English.
“Sasa nyinyi mnaanza kuwa kama Riggi G kulialia kizungu (Now you guys are starting to be like Riggi G crying because of my English)” Wetang’ula said at an event attended by President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
When he rose to the podium, the second in command thanked the people of Bungoma for refusing to be addressed in English.
Gachagua who once complained about Wetang’ula’s English further asked the National Assembly Speaker to always address locals in either Swahili or their native language.
“Umeniumiza miaka mingi nilikuwa nadhani ni mimi peke yangu unaumiza na kingereza mingi kumbe unaumiza hadi watu ya nyumbani (You have hurt me for many years, I thought I was the only one you hurt with your big English only to realize that you hurt even the people at home)” Gachagua said.
During a National Prayer Breakfast in June, the second in command lightly told Wetang’ula to avoid speaking too much English at such events.
“Speaker of the National Assembly, I’m grateful you invited me but next time when you invite me for an occasion, I request you to be considerate upunguze kizungu kidogo, niweze kuelewa kile ambacho unasema (Be mindful of your use of English language so that I can understand what you are saying),” the DP said.
