The response by anchor Mark Masai to President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday night during the Presidential round-table with journalists has aroused mixed reactions from Kenyans on Twitter.
Mark Masai had heard about the level of national debt to which the President responded as normal "given that we don't borrow to consume, but to develop.'
The President also asked "when you talk about the debt issue, do you know what Japan's debt is?"
Masai responded, "I'm not really concerned about Japan."
Uhuru then asked him, "Do you know what Kenya's debt to GDP ratio is?" To which the journalist responded 56 per cent of the GDP.
The Head of State then asked again about Japan's debt and Masai responded, "I'm not in Japan so I'm not interested about it."
Uhuru said Japan's debt is 100 per cent of the country's GDP.
It is this conversation that rattled some Twitter users while others found it bold to the credit of the journalist.
@dvdmuga said, "When Mark Masai responded by saying he is not in Japan, he not only exposed his personal indiscipline but the shallow levels of research that our media personalities are accustomed to on the very topics they dis-ably preside over."
Another user @tirehtabbs said "Mark Maasai didn't you realize you were talking to a president?just learn to respect those higher than you, this is shame!!!"
@kafucate appeared impressed, tweeting "Mark Maasai's response to President Uhuru Kenyatta is similar to what UK told Obama about gay rights during his first term. In my world it's called honesty not rudeness #PresidentialRoundTableKE #StateOfTheNation."
Another user @kamwash254 commented, "Economics aside, let's go by a layman's understanding of Mark's question, the President was required to give a debt management plan. Mark Masai did not get the plan, instead, the President went to Japan and that's
how he lost marks #PresidentialRoundTableKE"
@Abdullahidomey commented "Just 2 Days to 2019, This Gentleman has earned My Respect and Most importantly my Heart. I was so Touched on How @MarkMasai was so Keen on @UKenyatta Questions on Last nights #PresidentialRoundTableKE. Thank you @MarkMasai and Be blessed."
Entrepreneur Chris Kirubi using Twitter handle @Ckirubi tweeted his approval saying "I would like to express my support to President @UKenyatta for his commitment to the actualisation of the Big Four agenda."
@AngeloPaul86 tweeted "No way we can compare Japan’s borrowing with Kenyan borrowing, Kenyans borrowed money is looted, Japan’s borrowed money goes to manufacturing industries."