NAIROBI, Kenya – Media personality Lynn Ngugi has sharply criticised American journalist Rob Finnerty following his apology to Kenyans over remarks comparing Nairobi to New York during a discussion on immigration in the United States.
In a strongly worded post on X, Ngugi dismissed Finnerty’s apology as insincere, arguing that the journalist was only apologising because Kenyans had called him out over his comments.
“You’re pathetic, and your apology is just as pathetic,” Ngugi wrote, accusing Finnerty of showing little respect for Kenyans and Africans in his original remarks.
She questioned why Nairobi had been dragged into a discussion about America’s immigration challenges, arguing that the comparison reflected deeply rooted stereotypes about Africa.
“What the hell does Nairobi have to do with your immigration problems?” she asked.
Ngugi said she was particularly troubled by how casually Finnerty had used Nairobi as an example of a city in decline, arguing that such comparisons reflected a tendency to portray Africa as a symbol of poverty, chaos and failure.
She also rejected the idea that an apology alone was enough to address the issue, insisting that Finnerty needed to reflect on the attitudes behind his remarks.
“You’re not sorry you said it, Rob. You’re sorry we heard you, understood exactly what you meant and refused to let you get away with it,” she wrote.
“Keep your apology. What you need is to unlearn the garbage that made you think saying something like that was acceptable in the first place.”
How The Nairobi-New York Controversy Started
The backlash followed remarks made by Finnerty during a Newsmax broadcast in which he discussed immigration under former US President Joe Biden.
Finnerty claimed that millions of immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and South America had entered the United States and moved into sanctuary cities, which he argued were deteriorating.
“What is happening in the UK and France is happening here already. Joe Biden let in millions of people from third world countries, Africa, Middle East and South America,” he said.
He added that the cities were beginning to resemble Nairobi rather than New York, a comparison that quickly drew criticism from Kenyans online.
Many social media users questioned why Nairobi had been singled out when the discussion concerned immigration in the United States. Others accused the journalist of relying on outdated stereotypes about African cities.
The comments triggered a wave of reactions directed at both Finnerty and Newsmax, with Kenyans demanding an apology and calling for him to address the controversy on the same platform where the remarks were made.
Kenyans Say An X Apology Is Not Enough
Finnerty’s apology has not ended the debate, with some Kenyans insisting that a post on X does not adequately address comments made during a television broadcast.
One social media user argued that Nairobi had been unnecessarily introduced into the discussion, saying the apology was not enough to resolve the issue.
Another challenged Finnerty to travel to Nairobi and apologise publicly, even suggesting that he address Kenyans at the Archives area in the city centre.
Others demanded a televised apology delivered during the same show, at the same time and before the same audience that heard the original remarks.
“We can only accept that apology by you saying it on TV. The same show, same time and the same audience,” one user wrote.
Another said Kenyans wanted a video apology recorded in the same studio, adding that they might then consider accepting it.
The reactions ranged from demands for a more public apology to sarcastic remarks about what Finnerty would need to do to win back goodwill among Kenyans.
For Ngugi and other critics, however, the controversy goes beyond an apology. It has reopened a broader conversation about how Africa and its cities are portrayed in international media.
