TheCable

E neva tey wey William Ruto of Kenya tok sey na im bi di first African president in 20 years wey di United States president go invite come state visit.

Ruto make di claim for di mega crusade of Benny Hinn, di televangelist, wey hapun for Nairobi, Kenya, on February 24 and 25.

“Di USA president don invite di president of Kenya for state visit. One of a kind in 20 years, no African president don get state visit for di USA,” na so im sweet im belle as e tok.

Di video wey im make di tok, wey Citizen TV publish, don gada pass 239,000 views inside 11 days ontop YouTube channel wey get more dan 4.6 million subscribers.

Di claim wey Ruto make comot different reactions from some Kenyans ontop X(former Twitter), as some dey repost di president comments and odas dey celebrate di alleged achievement.

As X user Sirengo Maurice tok sey Ruto go soon “put Kenya ontop di  global map wit history-making” state visit, anoda user dey quarrel sey why di presido go dey tok state visit mata for religious crusade.

WETIN BE STATE VISIT?

State visit na formal visit by di head of state of one kontri to di head of state of anoda kontri. Usually, na di pesin wey di head of state go meet naim make di invitation.

Osita Agbu, professor of international relations for Baze University for Nigeria, tok sey state visits dey “extremely important” and “holistic”, as dem dey provide opportunity for di leaders of di kontris to discuss different important issues.

Di United States dey look state visit as di highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between di kontri and anoda foreign state. E dey usually last for four days and e dey get some official public ceremonies.

Di events dey include White House dinner, state department luncheon, and invitation to stay for Blair House, di confam place wey several foreign dignitaries wey dey visit Washington DC dey stay. Blair House na place wey dem dey also call di president’s guesthouse.

Typically, state visits no be to discuss or argue policies. Dem be celebration wey dey focus on how dem fit strengthen di relationship between di leaders of both kontries.

WETIN WE CHECK

To check whether Ruto claim correct or not, TheCable check di records of di earliest and most recent state visits to di US by African presidents.

President Edwin Barclay of Liberia naim be di first leader of an African nation to travel to di US for state visit in 1943 during di administration of Franklin Roosevelt, di 32nd US president.

Meanwhile, for 2008 — sixteen years ago — George Bush, di 43rd president of the US, host John Kuffour, forma president of Ghana, and im wife  for di White House.

Bush thank Kuffour and im delegation sey dem honour di visit and im praise di Ghanaian president for im “compassion and effort in building  thriving democracy”.

Before Kuffor visited di US in 2008, Mwai Kibaki, di third president of Kenya, bin also do state visit sake of Bush in October 2003.

FINAL TOK

Di claim wey President Ruto make no correct. Although na im bi di first Kenyan president wey di US for state visit in over two decades, im no be di first African president to receive state visit invitation from a US president in 20 years.