Achieng Agutu (in a red dress) with her family on set at the Ellen DeGeneres Show. PHOTO | SCREENSHOT
A Kenyan student appearing on the popular Ellen DeGeneres Show has caused a Twitter storm after claiming she learnt English by watching the show.
Achieng Agutu, a student in the United States, narrated to the TV show host how her family had struggled to keep her in school, including selling their land in Kenya to find money for her tuition fee.
She also narrated how she juggles several jobs in America including being an admissions counselor at Holy Cross College, babysitting for two families, washing people’s cars and cleaning their houses, being an Uber driver and teaching English to internationals students.
However, what prompted Kenyans do a quick background check on her was the claim that she learned the English language by watching the show.
This is what Kenyans on Twitter had to say.
Achieng after listening to Ellen ???? pic.twitter.com/Eo4VrBB9aF
— KingKong???????????? (@steve_muita) May 3, 2019
Dear World, contrary to what Achieng may have made you believe about learning English in Kenya I assure you most Kenyans relate to Peter and Jane compared to printing lyrics at cyber cafés and watching the Ellen Show pic.twitter.com/fBXFqC1sk4
— Loice~NyarWasio???????? (@loiceyy) May 3, 2019
Such an unnecessary lie RT @Catewakamaru: @TheEllenShow @TheEllenShow Just so you know, Achieng met her parents as late as May 2018, a year ago. Her parents flew to Indiana for her graduation cc @Walmart pic.twitter.com/E08Bg5nSGo
— ⊰♥⊱wairimu ngugi⊰♥⊱ (@TheFabpreneur) May 3, 2019
Achieng Agutu would have just said she perfected her English by watching @TheEllenShow Twitter DCI wouldn’t be digging her background check.
— Julius Wambua ???????? (@juliuskitevu) May 3, 2019
Achieng’s story didn’t add up. Your parents can’t be struggling to educate you to the extent of selling parcels and at the same time support others in the village. Village schools and cybers don’t teach that accent. Kiraitu studied law at Harvard and never picked that accent.
— Ochieng Adul (The Nutritionist) (@ochieng_adul) May 3, 2019
The only segment i was looking forward to the whole week! while Achieng was watching Ellen.
I had a book full of this cut outs sticked pic.twitter.com/JmCRmr1k21— ???????????? stArk (@JobArtography) May 3, 2019
Achieng learning English through songs pic.twitter.com/tu6WxVxGz6
— Watima (@SavageElder) May 3, 2019
Kenyans on Achieng Agutu after she claimed to have learnt English from watching @TheEllenShow pic.twitter.com/sComWGwJvJ
— Mwas ???????? (@kabanya) May 3, 2019
When I finally make it to the Ellen Show but I never watched her show as a child and never learnt how to speak English!! pic.twitter.com/umLikivnMK
— Philip Mwaniki (@Mwanikih) May 3, 2019
