On Monday, Deputy President William Ruto drew the wrath of the Congolese online community for making insulting remarks.
Discussions on ‘Congo’ were trending on Twitter on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with a reference to Dr Ruto’s remarks.
Dr Ruto appears in a video during a campaign rally in Nyeri County, promising that if he is elected president, his administration will increase investment in livestock keeping so that they can sell produce as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arguing that the country lacks cows and must import milk.
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“The DRC has 90 million people but do not have a single cow,” he said, adding that the Congo would be the perfect market.
The second in command also described the Congolese as “wanavaa long’i kwa tumbo (they put on high-waist trousers)”. He gave an example of Congolese artists who wear high-waisted trousers.
Journalists, rights activists, politicians, and civilians in Kinshasa were outraged by the remarks, which they described as disrespectful.
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Ms Francine Muyumba, a senator and former president of the Pan African Youth Union, expressed her displeasure on Twitter and asked the presidential aspirant to withdraw the remarks.
“Mr. Vice President @WilliamsRuto, this is really unacceptable, with all due respect there is a need to withdraw this statement. If #DRC did not have a single cow how could #KENYA signe economic deals with #DRC, @EquityBCDC is currently making money in Congo, this an insult,” she said.
She added: “Kenya need the region & the region need Kenya, together we are strong. KENYA as a country need to stand against this statement officially in order to protect the friendship we enjoy between our countries. As we wait for our Government to act, we are ready to take parliamentary actions.”
DR Congo is yet to issue a statement on the DP’s remarks.
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