• This post sparked a heated exchange between Madowo and Emmanuel Talam, the press secretary for the Presidential Communication Service (PCS). Talam advised Madowo to read Ruto's speech at the summit and accused him of lacking basic journalism skills.

A lively online debate has been ignited by Kenyan-born CNN journalist Larry Madowo, who raised questions about President William Ruto's participation in the Italy-Africa Summit in Rome despite his previous criticisms of such gatherings.

Madowo took to X to highlight what he perceived as contradicting President Ruto's actions.

He shared a video from April 2023, in which Ruto stated that he and other African leaders would not be "summoned" by any single country and that the African Union (AU) would represent them in the future.

Madowo then posted a photo showing Ruto standing alongside the AU chair and the AU Commission chair at the Italy-Africa Summit, which took place on January 29, 2024. Madowo noted that other East African presidents had chosen to skip the event.

"President William Ruto said he + other African leaders would not be summoned by 1 country. The African Union would represent them going forward.He's standing just steps away from both the AU chair & the AU Commission chair in Italy while other East African presidents skipped," Madowo posted.

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This post has sparked a heated exchange between Madowo and Emmanuel Talam, the press secretary for the Presidential Communication Service (PCS). Talam advised Madowo to read Ruto's speech at the summit and accused him of lacking basic journalism skills.

"Create time to read the President’s speech. Basic journalism," Talam posted. Madowo, in response, dismissed Talam's advice and asserted that Talam was not qualified to lecture him on journalism.

The online spat quickly attracted reactions from Kenyans, who took sides in support of Madowo or Talam and shared their views on Ruto's attendance at the summit.

Some supporters of Madowo's argument accused Ruto of inconsistency and hypocrisy. They claimed that Ruto was trying to please the international community while neglecting the interests and aspirations of the African people.

@davidjesse_

He ditched his Kaunda suits for Italian-tailored suits. The hypocrisy.

@_amBYRON

Hypocrisy of the highest level.

@mohamednicholas

Ilikuwa ni mdomo tuuu...jama ni mwongo mbaya.

On the other hand, defenders of Talam's position praised Ruto for being pragmatic and diplomatic. They argued that Ruto was leveraging the opportunities and benefits offered by the summit while maintaining his stance on equality and mutual respect.

@Senatorhela

He is actively utilizing the sidelines of the ongoing Africa-Italy summit to engage in crucial discussions with the President of the European Council, @eucopresident, focusing on resolving conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia. #peace.

@paulkips1p

He is the chair, and he is expected to make his speech ...after all, he was headed to Italy in his capacity to discuss a bilateral agreement signed when the Italian president was in Kenya on the other end. They aren't there just for fame ...more of collaborative issue on the table.