Southgate under pressure to twist for Euros showdown with Swiss

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July 5, 2024

Saved by a dramatic late fightback to beat Slovakia, Gareth Southgate will take charge of England for the 100th time in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarterfinal against Switzerland under pressure to tear up his tactical plan.

The Three Lions have stumbled their way through to the last eight, winning just one of their four games within 90 minutes, and a star-studded squad who thrive when playing for their clubs has so far failed to deliver.

Yet history could still beckon for Southgate’s men in Germany.

England are the highest ranked side left on the ‘soft’ side of the draw with Turkey or the Netherlands waiting in the semifinals should they manage to defeat the Swiss in Duesseldorf.

Switzerland, who cruised past holders Italy 2-0 in the last 16 and held Germany 1-1 in the group stages, promise to be a step up from anything England have faced at the tournament so far.

Failure to change tack is likely to see Southgate bow out as England boss at a century of matches and invite a tidal wave of criticism for failing to make the most of the talent at his disposal.

He has already been targeted at this tournament with thrown beer cups after a dull 0-0 draw with Slovenia in the group stages.

Southgate has so far stuck to his guns with 10 of the same 11 starting all four matches.

There will be one enforced change to face the Swiss as defender Marc Guehi is suspended.

But it is further forward that Southgate faces bigger challenges to correct England’s imbalance.

Any questions over Jude Bellingham’s role as a number 10 appear to have been wiped away by his stunning overhead kick deep into stoppage time against Slovakia to keep England alive.

FODEN “SORRY” FOR SOUTHGATE

However, Bellingham’s position as the creative hub of the team does cause Southgate other issues.

Phil Foden, who picked up Premier League player of the year awards for his starring role in Manchester City’s title triumph this season, has looked out of sorts shunted out to the left to accommodate the Real Madrid man.

Meanwhile, there is little threat down England’s left as Foden has drifted inside and Southgate’s decision not to take a fit natural left-back, with Luke Shaw battling back from injury, has proved misguided.

“I feel sorry for Gareth,” Foden told reporters this week. “We (the players) have to be leaders. In games we could have got together a little bit more and worked out a solution.”

Southgate also admitted after the Slovakia match that both his goal-scorers, Bellingham and Harry Kane, were physically exhausted 15 minutes from the end but were kept on for the one moment of magic they can produce.

Bar a Bellingham exhibition for the first half of a 1-0 win over Serbia in England’s opening game, both have been far from their best but are undroppable in the eyes of their manager.

Instead, Southgate is reportedly looking at switching to a back three, which served him well in reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the final at Euro 2020.

That would allow both Foden and Bellingham to play centrally, behind Kane, but runs the risk of still leaving England to easy to play against without natural width.

John Stones said he hoped the second chance offered by the Slovakia fightback will act as a “turning point emotionally” for a squad trying to find their mojo.

“It’s time for us to realise where we are and the magnitude of what we can achieve and put that into practice,” added the Manchester City defender.

Bellingham’s memorable goal in Gelsenkirchen stopped the rot and all will be forgotten and forgiven should England emerge victorious in Berlin on July 14.

On the other hand, if they are instead on a plane home on Sunday morning, Euro 2024 will be a stain on Southgate’s legacy after eight years as England boss.

Embattled John Chebochok Threatens to Sue BBC Over Sex Scandal Exposé, Demands Sh100 Million Compensation

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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July 5, 2024

The newly elected director of Tegat tea factory, John Chebochok through his Lawyer Danstan Omari threatens to sue BBC World Service Group in an attempt to compel the International Media House to pay him Sh100 million as compensation for alleged defamation against him in clip published by the said media House titled ‘Sex for work: The true cost of our tea-BBC Africa Eye documentary’

Chebochok wants BBC to “cease and desist from publishing any further defamatory episodes/documentaries or statement about him”.

He will move to court and institute legal proceedings if BBC fails to fulfill the demand.

It is Chebochok claim that the detrimental documentary titled ‘Sex for Work: The True Cost of Our Tea – BBC Africa Eye documentary’ which aired on the 17th day of February, 2023, was without his input.

“There appears to be a well calculated scheme to disenfranchise and throw our client’s reputation into a pit out of serious and unproven allegations. The same is believed to be orchestrated by both his political competitors, work-related competitors and people who wanted to then buy out Finlays. Politicians who are against our client’s political bid appeared to have been angered that he implemented mechanization at Finlay and as a result, some of their voters lost jobs and the said competitors fought the said process unsuccessfully. This is despite the fact that our client was simply a contractor at that time, through his company, Sislo Holdings Ltd, and not an employee who made decisions for Finlay. The company referred to as ‘Solis’ is a total stranger to our client and he does not wish to be associated with the same,” reads the letter written to BBC WORLD SERVICE GROUP by Advocate Omari.

Lawyer Omari informed BBC that the dissemination of false and misleading information about Chebochok was fashioned to damage his credibility and bring forth a negative public perception against him.

Omari proceeds to say that the falsified image of Chebochok has since affected his relationship with some of his staff, the community where he lives and is likely to result in social and professional ostracism.

“The malicious broadcast of your documentary has caused our client significant emotional, psychological and unwarranted distress and stigma. Several entities have since used your documentary to recklessly tarnish our client’s name. They intend to use the contents of the documentary to subvert the will of the people to democratically elected him from amongst a group of other contestants.” proceeds the letter.

It is alleged that none of the alleged victims mentioned and concealed in the BBC broadcast, including those who called Chebochok a ‘predator’ and ‘a sex pest’, has made any complaint to the police or other investigating authority.

Chebochok says he is indeed the rightful complainant as he has made reports to the police concerning the harassment he has received from random numbers through his SMS and WhatsApp platforms.

He says has never been charged in any court of law nor before any competent judicial institution concerning the allegations in the BBC documentary.

According to Chebochok, BBC used their channel to single handedly condemn him unheard and subsequently, violating his constitutional rights to privacy, assumption of innocence among other protected rights.

He said he was exposed to unmitigated ridicule from the public.

US man jailed in Russia for 12 years on drug charges

By

Cyrus Kimanga

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July 5, 2024

A Russian court sentenced a US citizen to 12.5 years in a maximum-security penitentiary colony after he was convicted of narcotics charges.

Robert Woodland, 32, was arrested in Moscow in January and charged by authorities of attempting to sell methadone.

He is the latest US citizen to be imprisoned in the country, with some Western officials suggesting the Kremlin is “hoarding” Americans to trade for allies and operatives imprisoned abroad.

In a statement released after Mr. Woodland’s conviction on Thursday, Russian prosecutors said he had been caught while packaging a large quantity of narcotics at an apartment in the Russian capital.

They claimed he had been working with a large-scale criminal group and had transported 50-grams of the drug from a pick-up point outside the city.

His lawyer, Stanislav Kshevitsky, had initially denied the charges, saying officials had presented “no evidence” of drug sales before the court.

Ruto: All Public servants above 60 years to retire

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

President William Ruto has directed public servants who have attained the retirement age of 60 to proceed to retirement.

Ruto, who was announcing measures the government was taking to cut costs, said there will be no extension of tenures of public servants who are 60 and above, whatsoever.

Addressing the nation from State House, Nairobi, Ruto noted that the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024 has resulted in reduction of revenue targets by Sh346 billion.

He said the National Treasury has been assessing the impact of either reducing the Budget by Sh346 billion in full or borrowing the amount.

“Cutting the entire amount in our assessment, would significantly and drastically affect the delivery of critical government services,” he noted.

In keeping with enhanced austerity measures, Ruto said his administration has committed to implement and align government expenditure with the consequences of the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024.

He said several actions would be taken with immediate effect towards the realisation of the new Budget.

President Ruto Bans Govt Officials from Participating in Harambees

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

President William Ruto has banned all State officers and government officials from attending harambees and fundraisers in the country following widespread uproar from Kenyans.

President Ruto made the announcement on Friday, July 7, while addressing the nation at State House Nairobi where he listed a number of decisions made by his government following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024.

The Head of State added that the Attorney General Justin Muturi will be tasked with providing a legislation of public contributions.

“No state officer or public servant shall participate in public contributions or any harambees going forward. The Attorney General is hereby directed to provide legislation and provide a mechanism that for structured and transparent contributions for public charitable and philanthropic purposes,” he said.

All nonessential travels by state officers were also banned by the Head of State.

President Ruto appoints a taskforce to audit public debt

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

President William Ruto has appointed an independent taskforce to conduct a forensic audit of the country’s public debt.

Speaking in an address to the nation from State House, Nairobi, on Friday, July 5, the Head of State disclosed that the audit will provide clarity on the nature and extent of the public debt.

“I have today appointed an independent taskforce to carry out a comprehensive forensic audit of public debt and report to us in the next three months. This audit will provide the people of Kenya with clarity on the extent and nature of our debt,” President Ruto remarked.

He further added that the audit will provide clarity on how public resources have been expended and prove proposals for managing the public debt.

Ruto said the consequence of withdrawing the Finance Bill, 2024, is the reduction of the revenue target by Sh346 billion.

More follows…

President Ruto Scraps 47 Parastatals, Suspends CASs Positions

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

President William Ruto has announced the dissolving of 47 state corporations in a move to cut government spending after the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024.

Addressing the media on Friday, July 5, President Ruto said the functions of the state agencies will now be integrated into their respective ministries.

“Forty-seven state corporations with overlapping and duplicating functions will be dissolved resulting in the elimination of their operation and maintenance costs and their functions will be integrated into their respective ministries,” said President Ruto.

The Head of State noted that staff from the affected 47 corporations will be transferred to other ministers and state agencies within the government.

“Staff currently employed by the affected corporation will be transferred to ministries and state agencies within government,” Ruto stated.

At the same time, the President mentioned that he has suspended the decisions to fill the positions of chief administrative secretaries in government.

Ruto also disclosed that the number of advisors in the Kenya Kwanza government will be reduced by 50 percent.

“The number of advisers in government shall be reduced by 50 percent within the public service with immediate effect,” he stated.

Further, President Ruto announced that the budget allocations providing for the operations of the office of the First Lady, the spouse of the Deputy President and the prime Cabinet Secretary will be removed.

Similarly, the budget allocation for confidential budgets in various executive offices has been removed and the budget for renovations across the government reduced by 50 percent.

Kindiki: I don’t have reason to resign as Interior CS

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has addressed calls for his resignation following countrywide anti-government demonstrations that left more than 35 people dead.

As Kenyans pile pressure on President William Ruto to crack the whip on his cabinet and even kick out some Cabinet members, CS Kindiki has ruled out the possibility of him resigning.

CS Kindiki addressed the calls from a section of Kenyans including civil society groups, especially due to the conduct of police officers during the protests.

The CS who heads the critical Interior Ministry at a time when Kenyans poured into the streets was speaking in an interview on July 4, 2024, when he maintained that he is not resigning anytime soon.

According to CS Kindiki, had the idea of exiting office crossed his mind over the current crisis facing the country, he would have voluntarily resigned.

The CS in his defense pointed out that there was no reason as to why he should step down from his position as he has done nothing that warrants his resignation.

“As to when I am resigning, that matter has not crossed my mind because I do not have a reason why I should resign. If for whatever reason I was convinced that I have done anything that warrants my resignation, I would happily do so,” Kindiki said.

CS Kindiki also defended National Police Service (NPS) officers who have been on duty during the protests while not in police uniforms saying that it was a regular thing for the service.

According to the CS, policing activities are conducted in different forms where some may require officers to be deployed while not in uniforms to combat criminal activities.

“Crowd control policing is different from other policing activities including crime prevention policing activities and a police officer does not become an officer when only wearing uniform, he is a police officer because he is a police officer.

“Policing techniques are very different because of the nature of the engagement and what we have witnessed in the past two weeks have told us that the organization of crimes is quite high. We had police in uniform and other officers without uniform and there is nothing irregular about that,” he maintained.

On the general orders granted to the Police, CS Kindiki said that NPS is independent on operational matters and is only under the instruction of the Inspector General (IG) Japhet Koome, adding that the work of the Minister is to give policy directives and policy guidance

Kindiki’s remarks came at a time a section of Kenyans including civil society groups, and religious organizations have called on President Ruto to reshuffle his cabinet in line with the expectations of the people.

They have at the same time called for the sacking of members of the Cabinet who have been deemed underperformers.

Detectives Arrest, Arraign Elusive Murder Suspect who stabbed Kitui woman to death

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

Detectives based at DCI Katulani in Kitui County have successfully apprehended a suspect believed to be the architect behind the murder of Lucy Kambu Mwenda in Kalimani village, Kathunguni sub-location on May 22, 2024.

On that ill-fated night, the body of Kambu was discovered lying lifeless in a pool of blood just outside her property’s perimeter fence.

Her killer(s) had stabbed her twice at the back of her head, leaving her for dead, blood seeping from her mouth.

“At the crime scene, the hawk-eyed investigators found crucial evidence: a blood-stained machete, a light blue jug, a paper bag containing a broken egg, and a note written in the Kamba language carefully placed atop an empty cup,” the DCI says. “After days of intelligence gathering and analysis, officers embarked on a scrupulous pursuit of the main suspect.”

Vilonicah Mueni, traveling aboard a white canter truck from Mombasa to Nairobi, was intercepted at the Mtito-Andei police roadblock as she attempted to evade a mounted checkpoint.

The suspect was cornered and arrested, thereafter being arraigned at the Kitui Law Courts before being remanded at Kitui GK Prison awaiting mental assessment.

The case is scheduled for mention and possible plea-taking on July 23, 2024.

“I Am Sorry”: UK PM Rishi Sunak Concedes Defeat In UK Polls

By

John Mutiso

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July 5, 2024

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has conceded defeat in the country’s general elections as the trends showed that the Opposition Labour Party had won over 400 seats, while Sunak’s Conservative Party is ahead on 110.

“The Labour Party has won this general election, and I’ve called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory. Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future,” Rishi Sunak said while addressing his supporters in Richmond and Northern Allerton.

“I am sorry. I take responsibility for the loss,” he added.

Sunak will tender his resignation to head of state King Charles III, with the monarch then asking Starmer, as the leader of the largest party in parliament, to form a government.

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party will come to power facing a daunting challenge, with a sluggish economy, creaking public services, and falling living standards – all factors which contributed to the Conservatives’ demise.

Keir Starmer will be Britain’s next prime minister with his centre left Labour Party expected to win a huge majority in a parliamentary election, ending 14 years of often tumultuous Conservative government by trouncing Rishi Sunak’s party.

Despite his convincing victory, polls have suggested there is little enthusiasm for Starmer or his party, and he comes to power at a time when the country is facing a series of daunting challenges.

Britain’s tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War Two, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen, and public services are creaking, especially the much-cherished National Health Service which has been dogged by strikes.