A debate has sparked after President Ruto’s flawless maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on whether or not he was reading from a teleprompter.
A teleprompter is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script while retaining fixed focus on a viewer or camera.
The device is positioned directly in front of the camera so that the speaker can read the words, which are displayed in a power point slide presentation, while facing the audience.
President Ruto had two beam splitters available to him in the UNGA setup, one on his left and the other on his right. This explains why he changed sides during his address. However, to pull this off needs sufficient practice.
Kenyans have then had comprehensive discussions on the issue expressing their mixed feelings on social media.
“A lot of unnecessary fuss on Bill’s speech yesterday. Yes, he used a teleprompter. He is a good orator. He owned the speech & delivered it well. He only needs to utilize the use of hand gestures to emphasize the point. Over and above, it was a powerful speech,” Mwangi Maina commented.
