By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
There was a light moment during President William Ruto’s town hall engagement with Kenyans living in the United States in Atlanta, Georgia.
The President is in the US for a three-day visit.
He arrived in Atlanta on Monday, after which he had a series of meetings, including that with Kenyans in the US.
During the meeting, the Kenyans had an opportunity to share their views and ideas with the Head of State and his delegation
It is during this engagement that one of the Kenyans left Ruto struggling to comprehend what he was talking about.
The female Kenyans were given the microphone to explain their projects. But barely had he started when he was cut short. This was due to her complex American accent.
“Can you try Kiswahili… the tweng imenipita kidogo,” the President told the lady amid laughter from other Kenyans at the event.
The lady could not switch to Swahili but agreed to slow down in her speech.
“Is that slow enough,” she asked.
The lady said Kenyans in the US were excited about Ruto’s visit to Atlanta, Georgia. She went further to note that she has a company in Kenya that focuses on supporting farmers and underdeveloped communities.
Speaking at the event, the President affirmed his commitment to securing the placement of more Kenyans abroad.
He noted that Kenyans living outside the country play a key role in the country’s development.
“The diaspora registration and mapping for skills and expertise that we are pursuing will ensure that we secure placement of more Kenyans in productive employment abroad,” Ruto said.
“With increased earnings, the Diaspora can act as catalysts in our country’s economic development,” he added.
Earlier, the Head of State witnessed the signing of MoUs between the CDC and Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in developing a Sustainability Roadmap for Kenya’s HIV Programme and the joint proclamation for the operationalisation of the Kenya National Public Health Institute.