A speech by a 14-year-old Stacy Akinyi from Kibera slums on Thursday left delegates, including the Deputy President William Ruto, attending International Conference on Population and Develop(ICPD) summit at KICC, Nairobi, wowed.
Akinyi’s bold, eloquent and passionate speech won the admiration of many if not all as each time she posed she received a standing ovation from the attendees.
The 14-year-old, who introduced herself as an ambassador of Polycom of sports, centred her speech on the protection of girls from FGM and early marriages.
“I am delighted to be here. The highlight of this summit is the commitment of my president that other girls and I who are worried of their education can access it without any worries(applause).
“And that we are protected from harmful practices such as FGM and early marriage,” began 14-year-old amidst thunderous applause.
Akinyi also expressed her commitment to ensuring that the girl child rights are respected.
She challenged the stakeholders at the summit to invest in sporting activities and create room for girls so that they can benefit from such initiatives.
“As a matter of act, I will 39 years when ICPD plus 50 will be held and I will work hard to accelerate the promise.
“I will also urge the stakeholders in this room to invest in sports and save spaces for girls like me from a challenging background to be in.
“Thank you for taking the time and to leave your work to be here to hear our voices. Thank you very much and Welcome back to Kenya,” conclude Akinyi as she received a standing ovation.
The speech moved the DP such that before he began he speech Ruto said: ” what can I say after what the Kibra girl has said.”
The ICPD conference held at KICC Nairobi brought together more than 6000 delegates from 160 nations, including the head of states.
The three-day forum, that began on Tuesday and ended on Thursday, discussed a myriad of issues including reproductive health rights, ending gender-based violence and sustainable development.
The summit, that was officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta, was first held 25 years ago in Cairo, Egypt.
Here is Stella Akinyi passionate speech: