DP Ruto's 'cow' remark sparks outrage in DRC

Deputy President William Ruto on Monday provoked ire of the Congolese online community for making comments that were viewed as disparaging.

On Wednesday and early Thursday morning, discussions about ‘Congo’ were trending on Twitter, with reference to DP Ruto’s comments.

During a campaign rally in Nyeri County, central Kenya, Dr Ruto appears in a video promising that if he is elected president, his administration will enhance investment in livestock keeping so they could sell produce to as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arguing that the country does not have cows and has to import milk.

“The DRC has 90 million people but do not have a single cow,” he said, adding that it would be the perfect market for Kenyan milk.

He also described the Congolese as “wanavaa long’i kwa tumbo (they put on high-waist trousers)”, and gave an example of Congolese musicians who often appear in music videos wearing high-waist trousers.

Despite DP Ruto making the remarks more than 4,000km away, it sparked online outrage in Kinshasa with journalists, rights activists, politicians and citizens in DRC describing the comments as disrespectful.

Ms Francine Muyumba, a senator and former president of the Pan African Youth Union, expressed her displeasure on Twitter. 

Another Congolese citizen said on Twitter, “This is provocation or just an insult to my people. Sad.”

The DRC is due to officially join the East African Community.