Kenyans Ungovernable As Machakos Man Fumbles With Kiswahili Proverb: “Asante Ya Mateke”

• Citizen TV visited Machakos county to collect residents' views on the high living cost in Kenya
• One of the interviewees accused the government of reneging on promises made during the campaigns
• However, his attempts of using a Kiswahili proverb gave rise to a viral internet moment

Forget Governor Wavinya Ndeti's "yaliyo ndwele sipite" proverb, a Kenyan man has unleashed a new phrase, “asante ya mateke ni punda!”

How did man fumble with proverb?

The man struggled to phrase the widely-quoted Kiswahili proverb “asante ya punda ni mateke” when reacting to the high cost of living in Machakos.

He got his words scrambled, and, instead said “asante ya mateke ni punda” during the viral Citizen TV interview.

"Asante ya mateke ni? Mateke ya asante... Inaendaje? Kuna mateke, kuna asante na kuna punda ndani! Utazipanga! Asanteni," said the man

The proverb loosely translates to "the gratitude of a donkey is a kick" and is used to lament when a bad action has been returned for a good deed.

Following the interview, he was the subject of hilarious online conversation as netizens laughed off at his Kiswahili proverb fumble.

Gabriel Oguda:

"Ruto has beaten hustlers with the cost of living until they can't remember their proverbs anymore. Someone hide this from Christina Shusho."

Tilingi:

"From yaliyo ndwele sipite to mateke ya asante ni punda. Machakos will show us wonders."

Kiamati Edwin:

"Wavinya is clearly in good company!"

Ramesh Saxena:

"This guy cannot form a sentence to save his life."

Dido Jnr:

"And there we have our meme of the year. Thank you, very important."

Kev Muller:

“You can’t make this stuff up."

@Seth Tevor:

“Kambas never disappoint.”

Victor Onyango:

"Doesn't surprise given his governor invented yaliyo ndwele sipite."

Why did woman beg at city mall?

In other news, a video posted on TikTok showed a Kenyan woman kneeling at a mall surrounded by restaurant staff.

The woman screamed for passerby to help her settle the bill or she would be handed over to the police.

A kind lady offered to pay the bill, with the video dividing the opinions of Kenyans online.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke