Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu has admitted he cannot fully express himself in English.
Waititu says he cannot articulate issues in the language because he did not attend nursery school.
“I was a student at Dagoretti High School but as you know, I have difficulty in expressing myself in English. This is because I did not go to nursery school.”
“I was one of the children that were being subjected to the test of touching your ear with your hand and if you managed, you were allowed to proceed to Class One. But English is just but a language, of importance, is what is in one’s mind,” Waititu said amid laughter from the crowd.
Governor Waititu was speaking during a burial ceremony in Gatundu South, Kiambu County on Saturday.
He thanked Kiambu residents for electing him as their Governor and assured them of his commitment to improving their livelihoods.
Waititu holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from India’s Punjab University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Kenya Methodist University (Kemu).
At some point we have to ask…
At some point we have to ask ourselves what the colonizers language has done for us in the last 50+ years. Waititu rehabbing the drunks is good for community and especially family and more needs to be done in central province to restore family.
Moi didn’t Speak good…
Moi didn’t Speak good English but (by Wisdom and Shrewdity) he RULED Kenya left and right for about 25 years.
Ndugu Waititu: Si lazima…
Ndugu Waititu: Si lazima useme lugha ya Kiingereza! Jambo lililo muhimu ni wewe kuweza kusema lugha ya Kiswahili unapofanya mikutano rasmi katika nchi ya Kenya. Yafaa bunge la Kenya kukifanya Kiswahili “lugha ya bunge.” Kusema Kiingereza katika bunge letu la Kenya ni aibu (shame) kubwa sana yapata miaka 55 tangu tupate uhuru.
Kiingereza ni lugha yenye majivuno mengi sana na pia lugha ambayo imeziua (has exterminated) lugha nyingi sana duniani (the holocaust language). Lugha yako ya asili inapokufa, hata wewe mwenyewe hufa. Kwa nini? Lugha ni kama mto (a language is like a river). Mto unapokauka (when the river dries up), maisha yote yaliyokuwemo mtoni huo, pia hufa.
Ningependa kuwasifu na pia kuwashukuru ndugu na dada zangu “Agikuyu” kwa kuikuza lugha yao kiwango ambacho, lugha hii haitakufa kama lugha nyingine katika nchi ya Kenya zinapokufa sasa. Wasomali na Agikuyu wanapenda sana kusema lugha zao. Jambo hili ni muhimu sana kama tutaendelea kujivunia asili yetu. Pia Agikuyu wameifufua dini yao (have revived their ancestral religion) ya asili. Hongereni (congratulations) Agikuyu na Wasomali.
Sasa, katika nchi ya Marekani, maandishi ya serikali yanapatikana pia katika lugha ya Kisomali. Hongereni Wasomali katika nchi ya Marekani kwa kumchagua Msomali wa kwanza Dada Ilhan Omar kuwa mjumbe wa bunge na pia kukifanya Kisomali kuwa lugha mojawapo muhimu ya serikali ya Marekani.
When is he going to admit he…
When is he going to admit he can’t read English either?!
@Vicky, note that there are…
@Vicky, note that there are different types of language problems in medical field. Waititu has a condition called Receptive Bilingualism, whereby he has no problem reading and comprehending, but has a problem articulating himself using the same language.
The only condition Waititu…
The only condition Waititu has is called illiteracy.
I see IphoneG/Guest1 written…
I see IphoneG/Guest1 written all over you Vicky……………………………….
Me????????Wow! Wow!!!
Me????????Wow! Wow!!!
KISWAHILI “TOSHA.”
Ikiwa…
KISWAHILI “TOSHA.”
Ikiwa mtu kama mkristo Raila anaweza kusema lugha ya Kiswahili vizuri sana lugha ambayo haina uhusiano wowote na lugha ya Kiluo, kila mtu anaweza kusema na kuandika Kiswahili katika nchi ya Kenya.
Je wajua, katika mitihani ya Kiswahili katika nchi ya Kenya, Waluo wanafanya vizuri sana hata kuliko wazaliwa wa lugha ya Kiswahili na pia Wabantu wengine wote.
Not attending nursery school…
Not attending nursery school is not the issue. The issue is interest. If he has interest in learning how to speak English he can hire somebody to train him. If he take like 3 hours everyday to practice how to speak English he will learn it. Practice practice makes prefect.
Sonko can speak English with…
Sonko can speak English with an American Accent.
@Kenya I completely agree…
@Kenya I completely agree with you. Nursery schools in the 60s were taught in vernacular or Kiswahili. This is just another lame excuse from the Governor. He had 7 years of primary and 6 years of high school to learn English.
This man, Waititu has two…
This man, Waititu has two University Degrees and I suppose in kenya the medium of instruction is English and Kiswahili, even in Pujab they teach in English plus whatever other language.This is shocking to say the least. I would have respected Ndugu waititu, if he had admitted that he bought these degrees straight out, and this is the problem we have in Kenya. This is a clear failure of the total education system in Kenya and I can assure you Waititu is NOT ALONE. Speak your LUGHA, be proud of it and most of all DO NOT CHEAT and LIE about your education. REmember you can govern by using Kiswahili and your mother language whatever that is.
Majority of them have bought…
Majority of them have bought degrees, master’s and PhD’s certificates.They bribe and cheat to get academic qualifications. in Kenya.
You see, a lot of Kikuyu’s suffer from a disease called severe foolishness.
For example, majority of Kikuyu’s in America and diaspora at large don’t go to college.
For some reason, Kikuyu decided to take the route of credentials without knowledge because, I think they were jealous and also they got tired of Luo’s being called the most intelligent tribe in Kenya.
Additionally, they have bitter bitch syndrome since Mumbi, of house of Mumbi (Kikuyu History) was a very bitter woman who could not keep a man.
Also, Jiggers is another major problem.
Most of them their credentials are not worth the paper they are printed on.
If you went to college, it…
If you went to college, it does not show in your comments. You write like the biggest ignoramus I have ever encountered. What you need is help, like serious mental and psychological help.
Kikuyu’s have been playing…
Kikuyu’s have been playing themselves.
Kalenjins too.
Which is a sign of foolishness.
Your opinion about me or my comment does not change that.
@Vicky, you have a cancer…
@Vicky, you have a cancer that is killing you slowly called hate. They people you hate do not know you or do they care whether you hate them or not. They are going on with their lives as normal while you are killing yourself with hate. You are a slave of hate and an enemy to yourself.
There goes the bitter old…
There goes the bitter old hag again needing medication. That Mugikuyu man she once had was lucky to run away from her otherwise he would have died of stress.
Do you have statistical data…
Do you have statistical data to justify your allegations or what you have is a wild guess?. What you are doing is what is considered profiling, you should not judge the whole tribe because of a few
@Vicky, This says more about…
@Vicky, This says more about you than it says about the performance of majority of a tribe you deride. It is easy to talk ill, stereotype and offer blanket condemnation to a tribe’s academic achievements when you are yourself ignorant of matters academics achievement. How have you determined the majority (i.e more than 50%)???? Are 50% of all the teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, professors, professionals and graduates that you have evaluated from the said tribe academic cheats?
This is very insulting even to have Mwakilishi allow Vicky’s vitriol and tribal bigotry to be disseminated through its pages.
@Vicky you may be confusing…
@Vicky you may be confusing Mumbi with someone else. Mumbi kept her man, Gikuyu, happy for many decades. They had 9 beautiful daughters who married 9 handsome men. The bitchiness & bitterness you mention is from within your heart. Please don’t re-write history by projecting your shortcomings upon others.
@Mumbi My point is Kikuyu …
@Mumbi My point is Kikuyu (and Kalenjin)behaviors like the killing cultural festival, done in Rift-valley and stealing culture happening in the Kenya government offices can be traced to their history, culture and tribal identity.
The Handshake and the Jubilee party(Afrah stadium handshake) is and was just an over-simplification of a very complicated cultural phenomena.
There cultures that practice cannibalism in Asia.
Kikuyu and Kalenjin have killing festivals in the Rift-valley.
Young lads never throw…
Young lads never throw stones at a tree without fruit. Vicky and Iphone4G, keep throwing stones at the “fruit’.
@D Mwose, I agree with you…
@D Mwose, I agree with you he bought his two degrees. How did he communicate with people in India during his time of study for four years? Does he speak Hindi or other Indians languages?
I have met folks who write…
I have met folks who write very well in English but cannot articulate the same unless they read directly. Others are said to be very intelligent but no social skills and lacks coherence in speech (even in mother tongue). Another lot is emotionally intelligent but socially awkward. As a politician, much of what he needs is thinking on his feet, be emotionally intelligent and attuned to the peoples needs. However he needs to surround himself with intelligent people in other spheres of life, whose advice will help navigate the technical stuff that he has minimal chance of grasping. Having said that, Ferdinard’s claim does not get him off the hook so easily,since his academic background is shrouded in mystery that not even the courts (then) could unravel. Now that he has owned up to that first bit, his detractors now know where else to look, for what the problem is with top kiambu’s leadership (in)ability.
Mr. Waititu, the people who…
Mr. Waititu, the people who elected you as a governor did not want you to teach them English. All they need is your wisdom to lead them where they and you see fit. You do not need English to do a good job. According to Joshua A Fishman in his book “Language and Ethic Identity” “there is no straight correlation between a single language such as English and positive ascriptions such as progress, peace, international understanding, or the enjoyment of human rights”. Mr Waititu, take pride in Gikuyu and Kiswahili and do the best for your people and for Kenya.
God give Kenya leaders not politicians. God help Kenya!!!
Mr. Waititu, the people who…
Mr. Waititu, the people who elected you as a governor did not want you to teach them English. All they need is your wisdom to lead them where they and you see fit. You do not need English to do a good job. According to Joshua A Fishman in his book “Language and Ethic Identity” “there is no straight correlation between a single language such as English and positive ascriptions such as progress, peace, international understanding, or the enjoyment of human rights”. Mr Waititu, take pride in Gikuyu and Kiswahili and do the best for your people and for Kenya.
God give Kenya leaders not politicians. God help Kenya!!!
@Anonymous UI:
Ni waria ma! …
@Anonymous UI:
Ni waria ma! Umesema kweli! You have indeed spoken the truth! Ni waneena wo! Ovooye ageligali!
Ndugu yetu Waititu anahitaji lugha ya Gigikuyu na Kiswahili kuwasiliana (to communicate) na waliomchagua kuwa Kiongozi wao. Hahitaji kusema nao lugha ya kikoloni!
Kama wewe ni Mkenya na huwezi kusema Kiswahili au lugha yako ya asili (traditional language), yafaa uhamie (migrate) nchi ya Uingereza, Marekani, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, au Belize. Wewe si Mkenya hata kidogo.
Don’t worry man, you don’t…
Don’t worry man, you don’t need to study a dictionary everyday to be fluent. It’s a foreign language anyway. Just express your views in swahili and kikuyu and your point will land home. Ever known the most studied book after completing form four and college in Kenya is the English Dictionary? Guys make use this book on daily basis as they hunt for the next vocabulary to integrate in their daily use. In fact the bible has less daily readers compared to Oxford thing. Kenyans don’t realize even people from England utilise basic English. In reality the so called elites speakers from kenya cannot communicate with Queen of England(and most people in England) since she will understand very few words. Waititu take pride in the little you know and advocate the use of local language in official SMS for the less literate Kenyans to understand the message being conveyed. No one Complains when another country translates messages in local language ie English to Spanish, French but in Kenya is a big deal to just ask what language you prefer your sms but assume all is English.if we can write jamhuri ya Kenya and Republic of Kenya on the ids, pesa, why not swahili /kikuyu/dholuo in sms and make it easier for the locals/villagers to understand. Surely we African we are enslaved mentally for life.
Dada @Vicky: Kwenye familia…
Dada @Vicky: Kwenye familia yangu huko Kenya (ndugu na dada zangu), kila mtu anajua kusoma, kusema, na kuandika Kiswahili na Kiingereza. Ajabu ni kuwa, tunapowasiliana (when we communicate), tunatumia lugha yetu ya asili (our indigenous language) kuandikiana barua pepe (email) au kutumiana ujumbe mfupi (text messages), na pia kuzungumza.
Ninapokwenda Kenya (when I travel to Kenya) baada ya ndege kutua kwenye uwanja wa Kimataifa ( after the pane lands at our International Airport) mimi sisemi Kiingereza TENA mpaka ndege inapoondoka kwenye uwanja huu wakati wa kurudi tena Marekani. Wakenya wenzangu hufikiria ya kwamba mimi ni Mtanzania! Sivyo, mimi ni MKENYA HALISI NA PIA IMARA DAIMA.
The problem with you Waititu…
The problem with you Waititu is that you are not articulate. You lack knowledge to be articulate. Lack of nursery school education is just an excuse you are using. You lack ability to speak fluently and coherently because you lack knowledge.The difference between knowledge and intelligence is the key here. Knowledge is the collection of skills and information a person has acquired through experience. Intelligence is the ability to apply that knowledge. Just because someone lacks knowledge of a particular subject doesn’t mean they can’t apply their intelligence to help solve a problem or problems. Eloquent, fluent, communicative, effective, persuasive, coherent, lucid, vivid, expressive, etc. is all signs of articulate person. On the other hand, uneducated, unknowledgeable, untaught, unschooled, untutored, untrained, illiterate, unlettered, unlearned, unread, uninformed, unenlightened, unscholarly, unqualified, benighted, backward or in training are signs of a ignorant person and that is what you display Governor Ferdinand Waititu. Your daily actions and past statements such as “move the river” confirms what I am talking about
If you cannot express how…
If you cannot express how did you acquire those degrees.Only in Kenya it is not okay when academic dwarfs buy papers and then demand respect and high salaries eti walisoma.Stop this obsession with academic certificates the proof is in the pudding .Was the crowd laughing at you or with you.You are embarassing your grandkids let the truth set you free degrees hizo mbili ulinunua wapi na kuimpress nani ?
Governor Ferdinand Waititu…
Governor Ferdinand Waititu don’t worry, you are fine. If you were a smart person they wouldn’t have elected you both in Nairobi as an MP or Governor of Kiambu. You are in the right place at the right time. Kiambu and Nairobi likes candidates of your caliber. They like electing ignorant and dumb people. It is not a coincidence that you went to the same school with Governor Sonko. Both of you have accused each other of stealing each other test marks and both cannot express yourself in English. You are birds of the same feather who flock together You are modern day two stooges. Both of you should be thankful to Nairobi and Kiambu for they are in love with you. They need you, they want you