President Uhuru offers His blessings to Harambee Stars Squad

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May 30, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta has today told Harambee Stars players to always be at their best and to ensure they represent the country well while in Egypt for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

The President spoke when he flagged off the team at State House, Nairobi ahead of the continental championships which will to be held between June 21st and July 19th.

While handing the national flag to the team, President Kenyatta told the players and the technical team to be good ambassadors for the country even if they do not win the finals.

“It is not about winning but giving your best. That is the most important thing. You are out there flying the Kenyan flag,” said the President.

The team which leaves the country tonight, will be based at Marcoussis, south of Paris where they will pitch their training camp.

During their stay in France, Harambee Stars will play two friendly matches against Madagascar and DRC Congo before heading out to Cairo for the games.

It is the first time in 15 years that Harambee Stars is participating in the biannual event. The team was last at the championship in 2004.

Harambee Stars coach Sebastian Migne thanked President Kenyatta for ensuring that the team received full support through the National Sports Fund.

“We endeavour to represent the country well. Thank you for your support,” said the coach who leads a 27-member team for the tournament in Egypt.

Fourteen of the players are already in Europe.

President Kenyatta assured the team of continued support saying Kenya’s comeback to the continental tournament marks an important milestone for the country.

“A journey begins with a single step. The sports fund is the first step in ensuring that all our national teams are properly funded and supported,” said the President.

Kenya will play its first game against Algeria on June 23rd before facing neighbours Taifa Stars of Tanzania on June 27th followed by Senegal on July 1st.

Before qualifying for the championship, Harambee Stars played return matches against Sierra Leone, Ghana and Ethiopia finishing 2nd in qualification group C.

Sports , Culture and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Amina Mohamed who accompanied the team to State House said her ministry had disbursed over Shs 244 million to Football Kenya Federation to facilitate AFCON preparations.

Kenya’s qualification and participation in AFCON is a major milestone for the country whose sports profile is on the rise.

The Kenya Rugby Junior team has already qualified for the World Rugby Trophy slated for July in Brazil while “Malkia Strikers”, the National Women Volleyball team, recently qualified unbeaten for the 2019 Africa Games to be held in Rabat, Morocco.

WildlifeDirect Issues a Statement against the Lifted Ban on Elephant Hunting in Botswana

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 30, 2019

WildlifeDirect does not support the reversal of the Hunting ban in Botswana though we recognize that it is their sovereign right to manage elephants domestically.

“They claim that hunting is good for communities which we highly doubt – most of the money generated by hunting is captured by the State and by the hunting companies. Communities make very little gain – studies have shown that less than 2% of the funds generated by hunting reach communities”, stated Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Chief Executive Officer.

Paula further added, “Moreover we are concerned that hunting causes extreme stress to elephants which are intelligent, thinking communicating animals – the elephants begin to associate humans with violence and they retaliate hence the large number of human fatalities”.

Recent policies by the former Botswana President, Ian Khama gave Botswana enormous global recognition and applause. But the current President, Mokgweetsi Masisi is aggressively rolling back Khama’s policies.

Will hunting help with overpopulation of elephants? No. Botswana has 130,000 elephants – trophy hunting will not dent that number.

Will hunting reduce human elephant conflict? No, it will make it much worse as elephants become nervous and aggressive around people.

Is trophy hunting linked to illegal ivory trade? – We doubt this very much since Botswana has very stringent controls

Can Hunting generate funds for conservation? – We have seen that eco-tourism is by far the best source of sustainable funding for conservation.

“It is a shame that some people think that killing animals is going to save animals. We are losing touch with our strong African connection to nature as desire to make money is making us view these majestic intelligent animals simply as teeth, meat and hides. Hunting is declining around the world and it has no place in modern Africa”, stated Paula.

Botswana and four other southern African countries want to reopen ivory trade – this is the bigger evil. It will have catastrophic effects across Africa.

Poaching for ivory has already been documented in Botswana and if this threat is ignored, they will become the next great killing fields of Africa, just as Tanzania ignored the signs in 2012 and subsequently lost over 70% of her elephants to poachers before admitting the catastrophe and seeking support from the world.

USA, UK and China have all banned ivory trade, the trend should be strengthened but Southern African countries are trying to reverse this. They must take responsibility for the damage that their ivory trade proposal will have across Africa.

We support the Kenyan proposal to place all elephants on Appendix 1 to send a clear message that elephants are worth more alive.

We welcome discussions with Botswana to explore humane ways of managing elephants that have been tried and tested in South Africa and Kenya.

What to expect from biggest ever Africa Cup of Nations tournament

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Dan Ojumah

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May 30, 2019

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, popularly known as Afcon, is the biennial championship in which Africa’s top men’s teams compete for the gold-plated African Nation Cup trophy. The winner will hoist that trophy after the final on Friday 19 July at the Cairo International Stadium.

This tournament, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), will be the 32nd edition of the competition and the first in which the format has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams. All 24 teams have now confirmed their places.

According to a recent report by Nielsen Sports, Africa is one of the most engaged football markets globally. It matches even regions like Europe and South America. This supports the CAF’s decision to increase the competitiveness of the tournament.

Key things you need to know

Current title holders Cameroon were stripped of hosting rights last year due to delays with preparations and security concerns. Egypt was then selected as the host nation.

The timing of the competition is good news for fans of European teams. For the first time in the tournament’s history it’s being held during the European summer. This means African players who play for European clubs such as Liverpool’s Sadio Mané (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt), or Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) will not be withdrawn from club duty mid-season to participate in the tournament.

The 24 qualifying teams have been drawn into six groups of four teams each:

Group A: DR Congo – Egypt – Uganda – Zimbabwe
Group B: Burundi – Guinea – Madagascar – Nigeria
Group C: Algeria – Kenya – Senegal – Tanzania
Group D: Ivory Coast – Morocco – Namibia – South Africa
Group E: Angola – Mali – Mauritania – Tunisia
Group F: Benin – Cameroon – Ghana – Guinea Bissau.

The teams in each group will play in a single round robin format. After the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third teams will advance to the round of 16. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals stage, and from then on, progress to the semifinals. The semifinal losers will contest a third-place match, while semifinal winners will advance to the final.

The full schedule of fixtures can be found on the CAF website.

Egypt is being tipped as the tournament favourite going into the competition. They have been champions of Africa more times than any other nation, and have lost only twice in their last 25 home games against African opponents. And of course they have the prolific goal-scoring machine, Mohamed Salah, who is rated as being one of the best players in the world, both on club level for Liverpool and for Egypt.

Top 10 facts

Only three countries (Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia) took part in the first tournament in February 1957 and there was no qualifying competition. Egypt won.
2019 will be the first time the tournament features 24 teams, after CAF decided to expand the tournament to enhance competitiveness.
Egypt will be hosts for a record fifth time. They previously staged the Cup of Nations in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006, winning three of those four tournaments and finishing third in the other.
Egypt has been the most successful nation, with seven titles, followed by Cameroon (five), Ghana (four), Nigeria (three) and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ivory Coast (two each).
Madagascar, Burundi and Mauritania will be making their debuts at the tournament in 2019. Madagascar was a surprise qualifier and was among the first to qualify in October 2018, while Mauritania secured their ticket a month later with a game still to play. Burundi was definitely the biggest surprise. It currently occupies 138th spot out of 211 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Twelve teams are yet to qualify for Africa’s biggest football tournament, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gambia, Lesotho, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia and South Sudan.
Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o is the leading overall Cup of Nations scorer, notching 18 goals in six tournaments between 2000 and 2010.
Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary became the oldest player at 44 years and 21 days to feature in the tournament when he faced Cameroon in the 2017 final in Libreville.
Shiva N’zigou of Gabon is the youngest player to feature and score at the tournament. He was 16 years and 93 days old when he played at Afcon in 2000, scoring for his team in a 1-3 defeat against South Africa.
The tournament has been switched to being held in odd-numbered years so as not to clash with the FIFA World Cup. Afcon will also, for the first time, be held mid-year, away from the traditional January – February window. This will alleviate the club-versus-country battles that have marred previous editions.
Three different trophies have been awarded during the tournament’s history. This is the third trophy, with the first and second awarded to Ghana and Cameroon in 1978 and 1984 respectively. Both won the trophy three times and therefore earned the right to keep it.

The current trophy was first awarded in 2002, and Egypt won it indefinitely after completing their historic treble of titles in 2010. Unlike Ghana and Cameroon, Egypt were presented with a replica, albeit a special full size one that they were allowed to keep.

Jo Clarke, Lecturer in Sport Business Management, Sheffield Hallam University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

President Uhuru Challenges Leaders to Practise what they Preach

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 30, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged leaders to practice what they preach and to ensure that they act in the best interest of the people at all times.

He said Kenya will be a different nation if political leaders put into action the many promises they make to the people.

“Let us put into practice what we preach. We love making commitments but let us stop talking about doing it but let us actually do it,” said the President.

The President spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast held at Safari Park Hotel this morning and attended by hundreds of local and foreign leaders led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.

Speaking on the peace process in South Sudan, President Kenyatta called on the South Sudanese leadership to show more willingness and selflessness in resolving issues that are denying their people the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the independence that they fought for.

“Peace is possible but there must be the intention to have peace. The people of South Sudan need peace to get the service of the freedom fought for,” said President Kenyatta.

President Kenyatta said Kenya is always willing to help South Sudan to attain stability. “Kenya is ready to help you achieve the dream of a prosperous nation,” President Kenyatta assured President Kiir.

On his part, President Kiir said he was committed to ensure his country attains total stability, adding that he has initiated a national dialogue process to bring peace.

He said South Sudan leaders are busy jostling and fighting for power while innocent citizens are suffering.

President Kiir said he looks forward to a future where South Sudan will become prosperous and will play a bigger role in the affairs and unity of Eastern Africa.

The National Prayer Breakfast, organised by Parliament is an annual event that brings together leaders to reflect and pray together for the country’s wellbeing and prosperity.

On his part, Deputy President William Ruto said the prayer breakfast is an occasion where leaders gather for a good cause, pray together and speak candidly.

He said the leadership of the country fully supports the President’s drive to fight corruption and unite all Kenyans.

The DP said the leadership of the country has a duty to inspire Kenyans to aspire for greater achievements.

“We must inspire the hawker to own a kiosk, the kiosk owner to own a shop, the shop owner to own a mini-market and the mini-market owner to own a supermarket,” the Deputy President said.

Man charged in court for Attempted defilement of a 17 Year old girl

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 30, 2019

BY PRUDENCE WANZA – A man has been arraigned in court for attempted defilement. He is alleged to have committed the offense on 29th May, 2019 at City Park forest along Limuru road.

The 39 year old is a cleaner in Nairobi town. He is accused of allegedly sexually assaulting child aged 17 years.

He also faces charges of committing an incident with a child where he inappropriately touched a child

The accused, Kennedy Simiyu Situma denied the charges before Resident Magistrate Muthoni Nzibe at Milimani Law Courts.

He was released on a bond of Sh. 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Sh. 300,000. The case will be mentioned on 15th June, 2019.

Economic Integration of Africa holds Greatest Opportunity for the Continent, says President Kenyatta

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 30, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta said the economic integration of Africa holds the greatest opportunity for the continent.

The President said the envisioned integration under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will help the continent consolidate its vast economic resources for faster growth.

The Head of State spoke at State House, Nairobi, when he received a special message from President Nana Akufo Addo of Ghana delivered by special envoy Joseph Kofi Adda who is also his country’s Minister for Civil Aviation.

Kenya and Ghana were the first countries in Africa to ratify the AfCFTA protocol which aims at creating a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of investment and persons.

President Kenyatta said the two countries, which share a common liberation history, are keen to ensure Africa achieves economic integration as envisioned through AfCTA.

“We follow the legacy of our forefathers who gave us political liberation to bequeath the continent economic integration,” the President said.

President Kenyatta however cautioned that African countries need to be honest with each other if aspirations of full economic integration have to be met.

“We must find a way where all of us come out as winners. We want Africa to come together for the mutual benefit of all countries,” he said adding that Kenya looks forward to the final signing of the AfCFTA agreement.

Earlier, President Kenyatta held talks with Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama who is in the country to attend the ongoing UN-Habitat Assembly at Gigiri, Nairobi.

The discussion between the two leaders touched on the historical similarities between Fiji and Kenya, the two nations having been British colonies, and opportunities for economic cooperation especially in trade and tourism. Kenya and Fiji are top global tourism destinations.

Court orders Patrick Nderitu to file responses within 3 days on Buruburu land dispute

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 29, 2019

BY PRUDENCE WANZA – The court has ordered city business man to file a response within three days on the application by Nairobi Governor to have his orders over the ownership of a disputed land in Buruburu set aside.

Lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui who represents Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko sited that the matter should be dealt with urgently as the plight of children is at stake.

According to Kinyanjui, there was no consent or rates clearance certificate from the county and that the purported transfer of the property to Landmark was illegal.

He added that land records from the county show the property is registered under Glad Tidings Crusade Ministry.

“Landmark sought to unjustly enrich itself by creating an avenue to register a false and alleged consent through illegal proceedings, yet there is no valid, proper or lawful consent or sale agreement,” he said.

On Tuesday, Senior Resident Magistrate, Esther Wanjala declined to dismiss the suit filed by Patrick Nderitu owner of Landmark Intetnational Properties, the alleged owner of the land in dispute as sought by Sonko but certified the matter urgent.

The land in dispute is located in Buruburu and Glad tidings crusade have claimed ownership of the property valued at Sh. 100million.
Speaking outside the Milimani Commercial Courts, the wife of late Patrick Ochola the founder of Glad Tidings Crusade Ministries stated that they are the owners of the land in dispute. She says they acquired the land in 1991.

Mrs Ochola says that their lastborn daughter sold the land to Patrick Nderitu without consulting her and the other siblings. “The land belongs to the church and the school therefore it should not be sold to anyone and that I’m in court to challenge the sale of the land,” said Mrs Ochola.

On Saturday Patrick Nderitu is alleged to have hired goons armed with crude weapons to kick out the children in the school together with teachers by force. Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko came to their rescue and managed chase the goons away who had already destroyed part of the property.

The lawyers of Patrick Nderitu, have now been ordered by a Milimani Commercial court to file their responses within three days, on the application of the Governor seeking to have orders obtained by landmark properties limited over ownership of the land of the dismissed.

The case will proceed on Tuesday, 4th June, 2019.

Uhuru Orders Security Agencies to Tame Senseless Killings

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 29, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on law enforcement authorities to stop the rising cases of killings in the country.

The President gave the directive when he sent a message of condolence and comfort to the family of Governor Jackson Mandago of Uasin Gishu County whose brother was found dead in an unfinished house in Eldoret recently.

He said the rising cases of mysterious killings involving innocent Kenyans across the country were alarming and required urgent and decisive action from all law enforcement formations led by the National Police Service.

“We have to get to the bottom of these murders. We can’t have a situation where we are confronted with cases of killings every single day. This is unacceptable,” the President said.

“Our law enforcement agencies should move with speed to bring these senseless killings to an end. Let us deploy all resources at our disposal to ensure the safety of Kenyans across the country,” he added.

The President’s call comes at a time when the country is dealing with several unexplained and gruesome murders in parts of the country.

“We cannot allow rogue elements in our midst to continue visiting violence on innocent Kenyans. The recent wave of killings in Matungu and other parts of the country are regrettable,” the Head of State said as he urged the police to bring to book perpetrators of these heinous acts.

The Head of State prayed for God’s comfort for the Mandago family and all other families affected by the recent spate of murders.

President Kenyatta condoles the family of Governor Nyong’o following the death of his mother

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 29, 2019

President Uhuru Kenyatta has sent a message of condolence the family, friends and relatives of Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyongo of Kisumu County following the death of his mother, Mama Dorcas Owino, at a Nairobi hospital yesterday.

In his message, the President described Mama Dorcas as a matriarch who devoted her time in serving her family and country.

“The death of Mama Dorcas is a big loss to the family, friends and the community where she lived and served,” the President said.

“The departure of the matriarch has left a vacuum which is hard to fill but I pray that God takes over and guides each one of you as you face the future without her all-embracing love and care,” the President told the family.

Dutchman facing charges of Defilement Appears in Court again– This time with Charges of Forgery and Theft

By

Dan Ojumah

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May 28, 2019

BY PRUDENCE WANZA – Troublesome Dutch national, Hans Vriens has been fined Sh 300, 000 by a Milimani court after he was convicted of stealing, handling suspected stolen property and forgery among others.

Vriens will pay a fine of Sh50, 000 for stealing a USD 594, 376 .36 [Ksh 58 million] cheque from the United States Treasury and handling the cheque knowingly or having reasons to believe it was stolen.

He dishonestly received and retained the cheque at the collapsed Chase Bank, in Buruburu, Nairobi in the course of stealing.

He was arrested at the bank where he intended to deposit the cash on November 22, 2013.

The 67 year old will pay a similar amount for uttering a forged document and attempting to steal and impersonation, and in addition, part with Sh 100, 000 for forging the US passport.

Vriens presented the forged document to the bank manager of Chase Bank Buruburu on November 21, 2013 when he started the process of opening an account.

He claimed to be a US citizen, Donald Mc Daniel but fraud investigators at the US Embassy in Nairobi established he was a Dutch citizen and the name he used in the passport he was holding belonged to a US citizen.

Vriens intended to use the document to open an account at the bank to cash the stolen cheque when the bank’s fraud department noticed discrepancies in the documents he had submitted.

His passport photos affixed on the documents in application for an account opening were different from those on the US passport accompanying the documents.

In mitigation before sentencing, Vriens told the court through his lawyer Katunga Mbuvi that he is diabetic, suffers from high blood pressure.

He sought leniency claiming he has three sisters including ailing one all who depend on him.

The convict said he has a young wife and a four year old daughter, 17 adopted children and runs an orphanage in Kyusyani, Kitui county which is home to destitute children below the age of 10yrs rescued from the streets.

Vriens has a pending case in the same court where he is facing three counts of defilement.

He is accused of sodomising a 10-year-old girl on different days at an apartment in Roysambu, Nairobi.

The foreigner is also accused of defiling another eight-year-old girl on diverse dates in 2011 in the same area. The children are said to have been given Sh100 each after every sexual encounter. The suspect allegedly threatened to kill them if they reported him. Vriens has denied the charges.

According to the prosecution, some of the defiled minors lured others to Vriens house.

The suspect sent a mother of two girls to buy him snacks so he could get an opportunity to defile the girls before she returned.

The woman was also given cash to buy three pigs after proposing to Vriens that she wanted to start an agribusiness.

Prosecutors said Vriens took pictures of himself during the acts with the minors. The parents discovered there was a problem after one of the children refused to greet the suspect when they met him inside the Thika Road Mall on two occasions.