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You’re confusing me – Kenya’s President Ruto fumes at translator

Kenyan President, William Ruto was compelled to register his displeasure about the conduct of a translator during a media briefing and asked him to sit down because he was confusing him

William Ruto

According to tuko.co.ke, the dramatic and apparently embarrassing incident occurred on Monday, October 10, when the Tanzanian speech translator attempted to translate Ruto’s address from English to Swahili.

“I don't think it is necessary to translate. Is there anyone here who does not understand English? I will repeat the speech, you can just stop. You are confusing me,” the President said, as quoted by the news website.

It is reported that Ruto had arrived in Tanzania on the evening of Sunday, October 9, for a two-day visit after he had left Uganda, where he had attended the country's 60th Independence Day celebration.

Then, on the morning of Monday, he had to switch from making his media briefing in Swahili to English after he admitted that he was having difficulties speaking in Tanzania's national language.

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“I struggled with English in the morning, confusing me a little. Allow me to speak English so that everyone can understand me,” Ruto pleaded.

It was at this point that the Tanzanian translator mounted the podium quickly to help translate the address from English to the local language for the audience. But his efforts didn’t help the President.

He asked the translator to sit down, saying he would try to repeat the address in Swahili after delivering it in the English language.

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