Kenyan President, William Ruto, has humorously expressed concern over what he describes as an increasing trend of Kenyan women marrying Nigerian men, including his own daughter.
Speaking at a recent wedding ceremony, President Ruto noted that it is becoming increasingly common for Nigerian men to win the hearts of Kenyan women—so much so that he is starting to ask questions.
“My daughter is married to a Nigerian, and this one is now again married to a Nigerian. And our guys are around. I don’t know, are you slow? I don’t know,” Ruto said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
He then quipped that the trend, if left unchecked, might soon result in a national “brain drain.”
“At this rate, we are going to have a brain drain. We must balance this scale before we export all our daughters,” he said light-heartedly.
President Ruto’s daughter, June Ruto, married Nigerian scholar Dr. Alexander Ezenegu, from Anambra State, on May 27, 2021, in a widely publicized ceremony that attracted dignitaries from both countries.
While joking about the situation, Ruto admitted that he initially found it hard to accept his daughter’s decision to marry outside of Kenya.
“It is both an exciting and anxious moment. It is not easy as a parent to give away your daughter. It is much more difficult if you are giving away your daughter to Nigerians,” he remarked.
He added with a smile, “It is much more difficult when you are giving your daughter to Igbos.”
The President’s remarks have sparked a mix of laughter and introspection across East and West Africa, with many praising the growing cross-cultural ties between the two nations.
