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A Gambian journalist working for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has become an overnight online sensation because of her impeccable interview skills that appeared to corner President William Ruto during his state visit to the European nation last week.

Fatou Ellika Muloshi took President Ruto to task to explain some of the very issues that have put him at odds with Kenyans, especially Gen Z, who two months ago staged countrywide protests against his regime.

The 25-year-old asked Ruto about his love of trips outside Nairobi, noting that it had been claimed that even some high-ranking officials in his administration were changing clothes at airports and missing crucial Cabinet meetings.

International travels

Laughing off the question, the President, who resumed international travels recently after being grounded for two months following June’s youth-led demos, dismissed his critics, saying the assertions were incorrect.

“Many people don’t understand that some of these bilateral engagements are necessary because some people expect instant coffee out of these engagements,” she said.

“Chancellor Scholz came to Kenya about a year ago and this is the reason we are signing this agreement today. We began the consultations then, and when I said that Germany will facilitate many Kenyans to come here to work, many people thought it was not going to happen.”

She added: “We now have an agreement in place and there are real people who have started that journey. On September 27, the first recruitment exercise will happen in Kenya.”

On ensuring that the interests of Kenyans take centre stage when foreigners undertake projects in the country, Ruto said there has always been mutual understanding based on negotiation about both labour and incentives involved to ensure that both countries benefit.

Ruto also said his administration will repay Kenya’s national debts, though strategies to collect more revenue through new taxes had collapsed.

Ruto maintained that the debt problem affects 26 countries in Africa, but Muloshi interjected, claiming that the debt distress in Kenya had been associated with poor decisions, including taking large loans for projects that yielded limited returns.