The political rivalry between President William Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua has taken a personal turn, with the two leaders now trading remarks that observers say amount to body shaming.
What began as a political fallout is quickly escalating into a nasty war of words, as both sides intensify their campaigns ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
It started on Sunday in Kiambu, where Gachagua who has declared his mission to block President Ruto from securing a second term, mocked the President’s appearance during a public address.
“Na uzuri atakiwa na hiyo pesa yote halali. Si umeona amekonda mpaka masikio imekuja juu? Heh? Mmeona?” he said.
Gachagua’s remarks appeared to suggest that President Ruto is allegedly amassing wealth improperly, while also taking a swipe at his physical features.
But President Ruto did not stay silent.
On Tuesday, while responding to critics, President Ruto, the target of an apparent body shaming by Gachagua, picked the baton and took the low road race to the next phase.
“…Mtu mwenye ako na pepo ya ukabila na chuki na kisirani anatuambia nini kama Wakenya,” Ruto indicated.
Rage was apparent in the president’s voice, tone and manner.
“You cold-blooded thief stealing from your own brother, stealing from orphans, stealing from widows and you want to give us a lecture unazunguka kwa barabara kwa mazishi eti unatuongelesha kitu gani mtu ambaye ameenda akatia mimba watoto wadogo kama rika ya mtoto wake halafu anaua hao watoto halafu anatuambia mambo yake. You cold-blooded murderer, you cold-blooded thief,” the head of state vehemently retorted.
The Head of State fired back, this time dragging in one of his rivals, Fred Matiang’i, in a blunt and equally personal attack.
“Kwanza mimi nauliza wengine waende gym. Kwanza. Wacheni kula chakula mingi. Tumbo karibu inapasuka. Kichwa karibu inapasuka. Mnalala kwa mkutano mchana. Ata hewa mnaharibu. Kwendeni kabisa. Bure!” Ruto said.
Though he mentioned no name, Ruto’s remarks invited a response from the Jubilee presidential aspirant.
“First of all sijui kwanini unasumbuka vile mimi nakula kwa sababu mimi sikuli kwa bibi yako, hujaniona nikienda kutafuta chakula kwa bibi yako ama watu wako. Mimi nakula Kisii sasa hiyo kama ndio inanisumbua,” stated Jubilee’s Fred Matiang’i.
Ruto, who was clearly on a roll went for his next target who was someone in Kitale, though he did not mention names.
“Iko mwingine wa kutoka hapa Kitale aliwachiwa mali na ndugu yake watoto wanateseka ajue bei ya diaper kwanza,” Ruto noted.
His remarks, widely interpreted as targeting political opponents, have further fueled criticism that leaders are now crossing the line from policy debates into personal insults.
Kenya’s political scene has long been known for heated exchanges.
The latest trend of body-related insults however has marked a new low, raising concerns about the tone of the 2027 campaign with more than a year before campaigns officially kick off.
Stan Moody held his nerve to clinch a 5-4 win over John Higgins at the World Open in the veteran’s 2,000th professional match.
Higgins, 50, fought back from 4-1 down to square the second-round contest against England’s Moody in Yushan, China.
But the 19-year-old, ranked 47th in the world, made a break of 65 in the deciding frame to knock out the four-time world champion.
“I watched John growing up and learning the game. To beat him in an important match out in China and to do it with a lot of breaks as well is a good feeling,” Moody told World Snooker, external.
“John is a class act. I knew if I let him back in he would come back, so I’m glad I managed to hold my nerve in the decider.”
Moody’s reward for the victory over defending champion Higgins is a third-round meting with Welshman Ryan Day.
Elsewhere at the Yushan Sport Centre, Masters champion Kyren Wilson eased to a 5-2 win over Lyu Haotian, while world number one Judd Trump cruised to a 5-1 success over Florian Nuessle.
World champion Zhao Xintong claimed a 5-4 victory over Chinese compatriot Long Zehuang.
Mark Williams, Gary Wilson and Jackson Page progressed at the expense of Ricky Walden, Aaron Hill and Liu Wenwei respectively.
Brentford striker Igor Thiago and Bournemouth winger Rayan have received first call-ups to the Brazil squad for their friendlies with France and Croatia later this month.
Thiago is the second-highest scorer in the Premier League season with 19, trailing only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland with 22, with his goals powering Brentford to seventh place in the table.
The 24-year-old joined the West London side for a club-record fee of £30m in July 2024 from Club Brugge, but failed to score in his first season with the club as injury restricted him to eight appearances.
“Really proud of what he’s done to get to this point. He’s been here for nearly two years and I’ve seen that journey closely and I know about his overall journey to get to Europe and the Premier League,” said Brentford head coach Keith Andrews, after Monday’s 2-2 draw with Wolves, in which Thiago scored.
“Everybody has played a little part in this. We should all be very proud of Thiago’s dream coming true.
“It has been a dream and a huge ambition for him. When he pulls on that iconic jersey it will be a special moment for Thiago and his family and we will feel a sense of pride.”
Rayan, 19, joined Bournemouth in January for £24.7m from Vasco de Gama and has scored two Premier League goals.
Brazil face France on 26 March in Boston before playing Croatia in Orlando on 31 March, with the fixtures their last matches before Ancelotti names his World Cup selection.
Former Norwich attacker Gabriel Sara has also been selected for the first time, but the party is missing legendary forward Neymar, who is not fit.
“I haven’t called him up because he’s not 100 per cent,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said of the 34-year-old, who has not played for his national side since October 2023.
“But for the final [World Cup] squad, that’s another story.”
Flamengo centre-back Leo Pereira, 30, is the fourth new name in the line-up, while striker Endrick has been recalled after making the last of his 14 international appearances a year ago.
Brighton should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-0 loss at home to Arsenal on 4 March, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has said.
It is the second time this season Arsenal have wrongly escaped a VAR penalty in a game they have won by one goal.
The Seagulls were trailing to Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute goal when they pushed forward in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
After a cross was delivered from the left, Brighton midfielder Mats Wieffer tried to run into the box towards the flight of the ball but was hauled to the ground by Gabriel Martinelli.
Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed play to continue and it was cleared by the video assistant referee (VAR), Michael Salisbury.
Fabian Hurzeler complained to fourth official David Webb and the Brighton boss ended up exchanging words with Mikel Arteta on the touchline.
The Premier League Match Centre wrote on X that the VAR “deemed there was no clear and obvious error”.
But the KMI Panel voted 4:1 that a spot-kick should have been awarded on the field, and 3:2 that it was a missed VAR intervention.
The ruling said: “Martinelli is not looking at the ball, holds Weiffer into the area and prevents the Brighton player from challenging for the ball.”
Earlier this month the KMI Panel unanimously voted that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty against the Gunners for handball by Declan Rice.
But it was a 4:1 vote that it did not reach the threshold for a VAR intervention.
Arsenal led 1-0 in the 45th minute when Rice moved his arm to deflect the ball following a corner.
Chelsea did score two minutes later through a Piero Hincapie own goal, but went on to lose 2-1.
There have now been 18 VAR errors logged by the independent panel this season, matching the total for the entire 2024-25 campaign. However, the number is lower than the 35 mistakes in 2022-23 and the 31 in 2023-24.
From this same gameweek, Leeds United should have been given a penalty in their 1-0 loss at home to Sunderland for Luke O’Nien’s holding offence on Pascal Struijk.
The Gunners have had no VAR mistakes against them.
Ramsey second yellow against Manchester United wrong decision
Image caption,Jacob Ramsey was sent off when Newcastle were goalless against Manchester United 1-0, but the Magpies went on to win 2-1 with 10 men
The KMI Panel also ruled that Newcastle United forward Jacob Ramsey should not have received a second yellow card in the Magpies’ 2-1 win over Manchester United at St James’ Park.
Ramsey was sent off in added time at the end of the first half for simulation for going down after running past goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
It was judged on a 3:2 vote that Ramsey’s “left foot appears to slip as he goes past the keeper” and that it “wasn’t an attempt to deceive the referee”.
Second yellow cards are not currently reviewed by VAR, but that will change from next season.
However, there will only be a narrow corridor for the VAR to overturn second yellows.
For instance, if a yellow card has been awarded for a foul then the foul itself must be wrong, not just the card.
It is the first time this season the KMI Panel has found a player has been incorrectly sent off for a second caution.
Wolves‘ Ladislav Krejci was wrongly dismissed against Crystal Palace last month, though the KMI Panel highlighted his first booking as the mistake.
Bayern Munich may hand 16-year-old goalkeeper Leonard Prescott his first-team debut in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The German giants have three goalkeepers struggling with injury and if Jonas Urbig fails to recover from concussion then Prescott will play in the second leg of their last 16 tie against Atalanta, head coach Vincent Kompany said.
Urbig sustained his injury in Bayern’s 6-1 victory in Italy last week, while regular starter Manuel Neuer is working towards full fitness after a muscle tear and third-choice keeper Sven Ulreich picked up an adductor issue in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.
“Jonas trained normally today [Tuesday]. The decision tomorrow will be a medical one,” Kompany said.
“If everything goes well then Urbig will be in goal. If not then we will have to find another solution.”
Prescott, a German youth international who plays for Bayern’s under-19s, will require clearance from German labour authorities to work in the evening as he is a teenager.
He has been on Bayern’s bench in their past two matches with fellow teenage keeper Leon Klanac, 19, also out with a thigh injury.
Reserve team keeper Janis Bartl, 19, has featured on the Bayern bench in two Bundesliga matches this season, but it is Prescott who Kompany will turn to if necessary.
“He [Prescott] is very calm. Overall, we as a staff are also calm. If he plays tomorrow he will have our full backing. Everyone will help,” Kompany added.
“There will never be a young player who will be forced to play a main role. We have full confidence in him whatever happens tomorrow.”
Neuer, a World Cup winner and 12-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern, has played 19 times in the league this season, with the 37-year-old’s last appearance coming on 6 March.
Urbig, 22, has played eight league matches, including six starts, while Ulreich, 37, made his first appearance of the season on Saturday.
Bayern, the defending Bundesliga champions and current league leaders, will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the last eight should they beat Atalanta.
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven says it is “the biggest nonsense” to suggest the club’s players do not care about the team’s current plight.
Spurs are a point above the Premier League relegation zone in 16th with eight matches of the season left to play after a difficult campaign.
It has led to questions over the whether Tottenham‘s squad are already thinking about their own futures beyond the current season.
But Van de Ven gave a passionate defence of their commitment to the Spurs cause on the eve of the second leg of Tottenham‘s Champions League last-16 tie at home to Atletico Madrid.
“It’s the biggest nonsense,” the Netherlands centre-back told a news conference.
“Trust me – those involved on the pitch, the staff and the players – they care so much about the situation we are in right now.
“We just want to turn things around and that’s the main focus for everyone. If reports say guys don’t care anymore it’s just frustrating for our guys.”
Spurs trail Atletico 5-2 from the first leg in Madrid following a club record sixth-straight loss before they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Van de Ven said suggestions that Spurs players are not bothered by their predicament “brings so much more trouble” because supporters are “starting to believe” them.
“The other day when we read something about one guy that said to everyone that he’s probably going to leave and doesn’t care about the situation they’re in,” added the 24-year-old Dutchman.
“People are just making things up. The only thing I can say about it is it’s not true.”
Spurs will be without midfielder Joao Palhinha for the tie with Atletico as he continues to recover from concussion.
Captain Cristian Romero, who clashed heads with Palhinha in the first leg, will be available to play while left-back Destiny Udogie and midfielder Lucas Bergvall are fit enough for the bench after hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
Fifa appears to have ruled out moving Iran’s matches at this summer’s World Cup to Mexico from the United States.
The president of Iran’s football federation had said negotiations were under way to move fixtures in order to ensure their players’ safety.
It comes amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.
However, on Tuesday Fifa said in a statement it was looking forward to nations “competing as per the match schedule”.
The US is co-hosting the World Cup, which takes place between 11 June and 19 July, with Canada and Mexico.
Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand on 16 June and Belgium on 21 June, both in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle on 27 June.
Last week US President Donald Trump said that while Iran are “welcome to the World Cup”, he does not think “it is appropriate” they attend “for their own life and safety”.
“We are negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”
A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including Iran, to discuss planning for the World Cup.
“Fifa is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025.”
A recent message on the national team’s Telegram account said Fifa is the organiser of the World Cup and “not any single country”.
It added that “the country that should be removed is the one that merely carries the title of host but does not have the ability to ensure security for the teams participating in this event”.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino subsequently said the US President had told him Iran are “welcome to compete” at this summer’s finals, despite the countries being at war.
Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, then said that “under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup”.
When have matches previously been moved?
If Iran’s games were relocated to Mexico, it would not be the first time matches have been moved for safety and geopolitical reasons.
In recent times, Belarus have played their competitive home games in Hungary because of their support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In cricket, political tensions between India and Pakistan mean that the two countries will only play each other at neutral venues when they meet at ICC events.
India refused to travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy in 2025, while Pakistan played their matches in the recent T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
More than 100 people have been killed in a Pakistani air strike on a drug treatment centre in Afghanistan’s capital, forensic laboratory sources told the BBC.
Some of the bodies were injured beyond recognition, sources at the Kabul Forensic Medicine department said. Taliban officials have put casualty figures much higher. The UN called for a swift investigation.
Pakistan denied striking the facility deliberately, saying it had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
The cross-border conflict re-erupted last month, with Pakistan saying Afghanistan was harbouring militants who attacked its territory, something Kabul denied.
The scene of a destroyed drug addiction treatment centre in Kabul
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) condemned the strike, which it said had been carried out by Pakistani forces on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital.
“Unama reiterates its call for de-escalation and an immediate ceasefire, and for parties to comply with their obligations under international law to ensure the protection of civilians,” a statement said.
Some 2,000 people were being treated at the rehab centre, according to officials at the facility, who believe there could be hundreds of casualties.
The Afghan health ministry’s spokesman, Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, told the BBC there were no military facilities near the rehabilitation centre.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions across Kabul at around 20:50 (16:20 GMT) on Monday, followed by the sound of aircraft and air defence systems.
Family members of those being treated at the centrewere gathered outside, desperately trying to find out information about their loved ones.
A Taliban government spokesman said the death toll had reached at least 400, but the BBC has not independently verified the numbers. A BBC reporter at the scene saw more than 30 bodies carried out on stretchers on Monday evening.
Pakistan’s information ministry said the strikes in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar had been “precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted”.
It dismissed Afghanistan’s claim as a “misreporting of facts… [that] seeks to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism”.
Formerly a US military base, the area where the strike occurred was a notorious hangout for drug users. When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, they turned the space into a rehabilitation centre, housing users rounded up from across the capital.
Rescuers continued to search for survivors into Tuesday. In the morning, the extent of the damage – flattened debris littered with blankets and shoes beside charred, blown-out windows – was visible.
A soldier walks at the site of the drug rehabilitation centreOfficials say thousands of people were being treated for drug addiction at the rehab facility
At least 75 people were killed and 193 injured in Afghanistan as a result of continuing cross-border fighting between the countries between 26 February and 13 March, according to Unama.
China, which has tried to cool tensions, said its Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, had spoken to his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts over the phone in the past week.
Calling for a ceasefire “at the earliest opportunity”, Beijing on Monday urged the two countries to “remain calm and exercise restraint [and to] engage face to face” as soon as possible.
Additional reporting by Kathryn Armstrong
The drug rehab centre in Kabul was hit on Monday evening, the Taliban government says
The National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee has lauded the management of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) for its efforts to comply with the requirement to reserve part of its annual procurement budget for special interest groups.
Committee Chairperson Hon. Adan Haji (Mandera West) commended the authority for adhering to the requirement when the House team met KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto.
The Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme requires all public procuring entities at both national and county levels to set aside at least 30 per cent of their annual procurement budget for enterprises owned by youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
“As a Committee, we are pleased to note that the management of KPA has complied with the AGPO requirement,” said Hon. Haji.
Earlier, Captain Ruto, who appeared before MPs to brief the Committee on employment diversity and the reservation of 30 per cent of tenders for special interest groups, said the authority has met the requirement despite capacity challenges.
Israel says Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and the head of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani, have been killed in Israeli air strikes.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation programme, along with all those eliminated from the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Their deaths have not been immediately confirmed by Iranian authorities.
Larijani would be the most senior Iranian official to be assassinated since the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of Israeli and US strikes on 28 February.
They triggered a war that has spread across the Middle East, with Iran retaliating by launching missiles and drones at Israel and Arab states hosting US military facilities.
The price of oil has surged, with Iranian attacks forcing production stoppages in Gulf states and disrupting exports through the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that its air force had carried out a “precise strike” near Tehran on Monday night that killed Ali Larijani, describing him as “one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime”.
“Following the elimination of Khamenei, Larijani consolidated his status as the de-facto leader of the Iranian regime and led the combat efforts against the State of Israel and countries across the region,” it said.
Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it.”
Iranian authorities have not commented on the Israeli statements, which came after a night of heavy bombardment in Tehran interspersed with the sound of thunder.
But shortly after Katz’s statement, Larijani’s social media accounts posted an undated, handwritten note that state media said was written on Tuesday.
The note praises the 84 “warriors” of the Iranian navy who were killed in a US submarine attack on their warship off the coast of Sri Lanka this month. Iran is preparing to hold a ceremony to honour the sailors on Tuesday evening.
State TV read out a similar message about the sailors from the commander of the Basij Resistance Force, Gholamreza Soleimani, who the IDF said was killed in another overnight strike.
The Basij is a volunteer militia whose estimated one million members are often called out onto the streets to use force to suppress dissent. It is controlled by the powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
“During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led the main repression operations,” the IDF said.
The IDF also released video footage showing what it said was one of several air strikes targeting Basij checkpoints across Tehran on Tuesday.
Iranian authorities have not commented, but last week local media reported that a number of security personnel had been killed in Israeli strikes on four checkpoints in the capital.
Larijani is believed to have overseen the unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on the protests that swept across Iran in December and January. At least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, human rights activists say.
It is very difficult to contact people in Iran because of an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities. However, some Iranians opposed to the establishment who sent text messages to BBC Persian welcomed Tuesday’s news.
A man in his 30s from Tehran said: “I think it was a very important step because the decision-making brains must be shut down.”
A man in his 20s, who lives in the nearby city of Karaj, said: “When they die, you might not believe it, but I get so happy because they’re criminals and have so much blood on their hands.”
Larijani was appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) by President Massoud Pezeshkian last August.
He was also Khamenei’s representative on the council, and was described by Iranian news outlets as an adviser to the late supreme leader.
Before the war, Khamenei reportedly tasked Larijani with devising a plan to ensure that the Islamic Republic would survive a major attack by Israel and the US, including the assassination of its leadership.
After the death of the supreme leader, Larijani became an even more powerful figure.
Although Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was chosen as his successor, he has not been seen in public or appeared in any recent photographs or videos since the start of the war, having reportedly been injured in the Israeli strike that killed his father.
By contrast, Larijani regularly responded to statements by US President Donald Trump on social media and was filmed walking with supporters of the Islamic Republic at the Quds Day demonstration in Tehran last Friday.
In an interview with state TV at the rally, he dismissed a nearby air strike as being a sign that Israel and the US were acting “out of fear, out of desperation”.
Larijani was a former Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who rose to prominence as head of Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB. He held the position for 10 years before becoming a security adviser to Khamenei in 2004.
After an unsuccessful run in the 2005 presidential election, he became Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator with the West. He quit two years later, reportedly over differences with the then-hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He then served as Speaker of Iran’s parliament for 12 years, from 2008 to 2020. Although he headed the hardline “principlist” faction – committed to the ideological principles of the Islamic revolution – during his first term, Larijani was described in later years as a “moderate conservative”.
His brother, Sadegh Larijani, is another influential figure in the Islamic Republic. He chairs the Expediency Council, a top arbitration body that serves as the final arbiter between parliament and the constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council.
