People From Kenya

"It breaks my heart to see teenage girls become mothers out of sexual abuse, early sexual debut, and other vices, and I would like to spearhead a movement that can deal with these teenage issues"

"A woman doesn’t have to lose touch with her female attributes such as being caring and nurturing. You still look good and wear your skirts but even as you are feminine, that does not prevent you from following your dreams."

"While birthing Wheels for Life, I just tweeted to reach out to many Kenyans out there who would like to offer any assistance where possible to women in labour and couldn’t access the hospital, and the response was amazing leading to the inauguration of Wheels for Life on April 28th, 2020"

"Climate change has really pushed people to the limit, beyond their limit, because… we continue to experience the worst impact of climate change, which is now forcing families to resort to the last solution to survive… We are pastoralists… So we entirely rely on livestock for survival… And now that the land has been degraded, now that there is no pasture, now that there's no water, it's becoming very, very scarce, and communities have been displaced"

"If I am not able to do anything for the young people and women of my nation, my story and journey should be an encouragement and inspiration that regardless of your background, you can make it."

"Yes. We always tend to see the negative around us and rarely see the good. The number of women in Parliament has increased and at least now we can hear women voices"

"The sky is the limit, and I would like to see myself growing and pushing to spearhead the establishment of many such initiatives"

"Some male leaders use the word when women engage in discussions to put us down. What they need to understand is women too are entitled to opinions. If anything, we are flower girls because we are beautiful but the word should not be used derogatorily. Inasmuch as we have affirmative action, I am hoping the law is fully implemented and women are given what is rightfully theirs. We appreciate the efforts made by some men but there are others who still think a woman cannot achieve anything without sleeping her way to it"

"Girls are now at the centre of saving their families… It has become the only commodity apart from their livestock, because girls are not being extinct as livestock is. So the girls' existence in itself is becoming a threat because right now, it's becoming a solution to the communities"

"I'm telling you one of the reasons why FGM is still happening in some parts of the communities is because of the celebration. It is a huge ceremony…There are dances. There's singing. It's like a one- or two-week celebration. That is not at the moment, because now it is against the law The prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act 2011… Nobody knows about the actual cutting and the pain and, of course, the suffering that comes after that."

"Apart from one of my younger sisters going through it, none of the other girls from my family went through it after myself. So I became the first girl in my village to say I'm not going to be cut"

"When I was 11, I witnessed my older cousin being cut. The pain and suffering that I saw during this period forced me to flee home and seek refuge in a boarding school. I knew there was no way I was going to wait and have my genitals hacked"

"I was particularly shocked by a story appearing in The Standard about a woman who had died alone in the house due to Covid-19 scare and restrictions. I was like; excuse me, this happening in 2020? I knew I had to do something"

"Not just in Kenya but the world over, women in high seats and who interact with men are viewed negatively. I appreciate that I can never control what people say, think or spread, that is why it is called a rumour"

"I got involved [in campaigning against FGM] after I went to high school because I wanted to protect more girls… By the time I was going to the university, I was already taking part in mentorships programs, and working with a group of women who had also decided to campaign against FGM… When I left university, I went straight to campaigning."

"To the rest of the ladies in the race, I wish you all the best as you represent Kenya. I want to thank my management and Athletics Kenya medical staff for the assistance they have given me during this difficult time"

"I don't put money above happiness but it is important because it provides security, and part of the reason I am working so hard right now is to make money. I'm proud to be a 20-year-old who is financially secure"

"because I really want it, the acting thing. Just have to push"

"People can be cruel, so you can either be cruel back, or you can be positive. That's what I choose. Or at least I try to! Because I think we, as human beings right now, are having a hard time. So to lighten the mood. I try to post positive messages, instead of negative things and hatred."

"The lack of racial diversity is a prevalent issue in modelling but I try to ignore it. If you talk about it and try to make it an issue, then it's still going to be there"

"Change is coming"

"I think a lot of people my age don't see the racism, and if we can just carry on trying to do better for ourselves, then I think it will be fine."

"It is very sad and disappointing for turn of this events. I’m heartbroken by the fact that I will not compete in the 800m race which I was very much looking forward to. I have prepared well for this moment for the whole season"

"When you have trained all through and worked hard to qualify for the world championships, it is certainly difficult to accept such a situation"

"My target was to lower my personal best in this competition"

"There is nothing much I can do at the moment because it is out of my control. I hope to be back soon much stronger ad healthier."

"I thank God that we have been paid after a very long time. For now I am preparing to compete at the Milan marathon with hopes of better results"

"I am so grateful to my trainers and the County government for the support and the advice they have offered me and I promise to always be on the front lead in raising our county flag and our Kenya flag at large"

"I won the Eldoret City marathon held last month in Uasin Gishu. My target this year is to win and I am positive I will qualify in the national trails to bring back home gold from the Commonwealth games"

"The thing I love most is connecting people, and my current mission is all about African youth."

"Youth unemployment is particularly important to me because it’s what I live with every day"

"The critical thing for me is learning how to leverage what you have"

"I am an Africanist; everything African is what I am, who I am."

"You won’t always have everything you need to get where you want to go, to attain your goals and your mission, so you need to start with the little that you do have or the privilege that you have."

"I write to inform you that I have chosen to resign from the board of directors of AFC for personal reasons, effective immediately. It was an honour to serve on the Board of directors of the corporation. Thank you for the opportunity and I wish the ministry and the corporation all the best."

"Private debt has a long-term equity structure, with a fairly reasonable interest rate, which is making it easier for companies to venture into the East African region ."

"I always admired big perfume brands. I was curious about how they were made and what went into them"

"I practiced at my law firm for eight years"

"We realised that the challenges in public transport were humongous, but we were able to put in controls and systems with a digital platform, so we found a niche where we could actually build around it."

"It is so important for young women to empower themselves with tech skills right now."

"The fourth industrial revolution will help Africa leapfrog a lot of the old legacy systems that we’ve had. We will be able to capture data and use it in a more transformative way for businesses on the ground and help to solve a lot of the challenges that the continent faces."

"The migration to digital financial services improves the lives of individuals, supports stronger businesses and spurs economic progress and prosperity. Fintech companies are driving innovation, especially as it relates to un-served and underserved populations ."

"The fourth industrial revolution will help Africa leapfrog a lot of the old legacy systems that we’ve had."

"I like people and I’m a bit of an independent person, and I really like helping people build solutions. I also like to feel that I believe in what I’m doing. Coming back to Kenya after being in the US for so many years, I spent some time thinking about what I could do and where I could add value."

"Don’t let the challenges discourage you, and look for your strength. Look for something that gives you strength, turn to that, but keep going."

"What I’ve noticed though is that with time, the men remain more introverted, but for the women, as they get experience, you can see them blooming and getting out there. They’re more willing to socialise, learn more from each other and hold each other’s hands through it all. So I do think that to grow a lot of the tech skills in Africa, women are just as important, if not more."

"You can do it. There’ll be days when you’ll feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, but you have to get up. Know that every day there’ll be challenges and there’ll also be successes."

"First, the love we talk about during Valentine’s Day is made up. It’s not the real stuff. The real stuff is when you are selfless, when you give in love because you don’t matter then. When you accept your partner for who he or she is. I will also tell him that there is nothing like a mother’s love."

"First, I sought business advice from people who had been in in the industry before, I also went to Kabete Campus of Food Technology to learn about food technology and processing. Then I got financial support from family, my Sacco and a few friends. I also found a fund for women which helped with additional capital"

"I had no capital, and no savings. Borrowing from banks meant we had to have collateral, which we didn’t. And like I said at the beginning, I lacked management experience while the market was also not ready for innovative products"