Sacked AFC Leopard goalkeeper trainer says he`s innocent

AFC Leopards sacked Goalkeeper trainer Mohamed Fwaya has defended his clean record saying he doesn’t know why his services were terminated.

  He said Leopards officials took their priority wrong adding that losing is part of the game .The former AFC Leopards Goalkeeper said the action taken to overhaul the entire technical bench will not add value since those who will take over will work under immense pressure to deliver.

  “To the best of my knowledge, added Fwaya, I did nothing wrong and no official has come out openly to point my anomaly. I’m just reading in the daily press and social sites.I believe we did our best despite few wrangles here and there.Last year we finished fifth compared to our current position three which was impressive.Everybody know’s the just ending Premier League was very competitive.The League went to the wire where the winner was determined in the very last day.So I don’t see the reason why Leopards executive went ahead to drop us?”” wondered Fwaya.

     He said he will continue to support the team but said few officials in the team will stand accused since they were misleading the club Chairman Alex Ole Magelo who has helped the club tremendously.

     He described Magelo as a true father and a guiding figure who needs the support of every Ingwe fan. ‘Personally, I have  a lot of respect for Magelo.The man loves the team with all his heart.But his great work is hampered by few officials who continue to mislead him.There was nothing wrong  with the playing unit or the technical bench.Everybody played his role effectively.It was just bad luck.Nothing else” lamented a bitter Fwaya.

    He said he was dropped early last month when the club lost 2-1 to Western Stima at the Afraha Stadium but nobody told him his crime.’I feel pain, he added, when I see the clubs great progress being smeared by few officials.The action they took to overhaul the technical bench was not timely and it will tear apart the club even further.’

    AFC Leopards executive recently announced the overhauling of the entire technical bench led by head coach Jan Koops.Several key players were sending packing including legendary Noah Wanyama-father to Inter Milan midfielder MacDonald Mariga.

Meanwhile the Malawi National  team head coach Kinnah Phiri  has introduced two new goalkeepers, Owen Chaima and Richard Chipuwa in the final squad that was named to feature in this years Cecafa Challenge Cup. The  duo will now link up with first choice Goalkeeper Charles Swini.

   Phiri named a 20-man squad which will face Rwanda on November 26 in the opening match of Group C of this year’s Cecafa Challenge Cup at Namboole Stadium in Kampala.

  Howver, Phiri has cracked the whip by dropping two senior midfielders Frank Banda and Davie Banda after they sneaked out of training camp for beer drinking.He said  he will not entertain indiscipline in the team.

“I have faith in the young players who have discipline. They have to prove to the nation that they are good,” he said.

Right-winger Mician Mhone of Blue Eagles, defender George Nyirenda and striker Innocent Bokosi have been included for the national duty for the first time.

Former APR forward Msowoya Chiukepo, who now features for Escom United, leads the striking force for the Cosafa side, which was preferred to Cameroon and Zimbabwe as a last minute replacement for Djibouti and will be making a third appearance in the competition which dates back to 1926.

Malawi squad:

 Owen Chaima (Big Bullets), Charles Swini (Silver Strikers ),Richard Chipuwa (Wanderers FC), Moses Chavula (Wanderers FC), Foster Namwera (Wanderers FC), Bongani Kaipa (Wanderers FC), Joseph Kamwendo (Wanderers FC), Steve Chagona (Blue Eagles), George Nyirenda (Big Bullets), Pilirani Makupe (Civo United), John Lanjesi (Civo United),  Patrick Masanjala (Blue Eagles), Mician Mhone (Blue Eagles), Ndaziona Chatsalira (Silver Strikers),  Innocent Bokosi (Blue Eagles).
Chimango Kayira(Big Bullets), Benard Harawa (Escom United), Chiukepo Msowoya (Escom United), Rodrick Gonani (Silver Strikers), Green Harawa (Silver Strikers)

Zambia determined to host global world tourism general assembly

 Zambian Vice-President Guy Scott has said the southern African nation is determined to host the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) general assembly together with Zimbabwe in August next year, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Friday.
The assurance comes amid increased reports that Zambia is behind in terms of preparations to host the event compared to Zimbabwe despite the government repeatedly denying this.
"We are determined to host the event because we know that this will give us an opportunity to market our tourism products. As government, we will ensure that this event becomes a success not only to Zambians but also to international visitors," he was quoted as saying by the paper.
While acknowledging that there were still some challenges hampering the growth of tourism and preparations for the event, the Zambian vice-president said the government has started addressing the challenges such as high visa fees.
Recently, Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo assured that the country was ready to host the event and that there is nothing to worry about the slow preparations.
She said experts from the UNWTO experts have been coming to inspect the preparations and have so far done two inspections and have expressed satisfaction with the progress.
Zambia's tourist capital Livingstone situated in the southern part of the country will co-host the event together with the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls. (Xinhua)
Meanwhile Karim Wade, the son to Senegal's ex- president Abdoulaye Wade, was on Thursday questioned again for over ten hours by the gendarmes who are investigating the illegal wealth acquisition by some Senegalese individuals.
The new questioning went on amid protests by those who support the current regime who called for justice to be done and Karim Wade's supporters who gathered outside the questioning venue to express their support for him.
Wade, a former infrastructure and transport minister between 2009 to 2012, had already been questioned last Thursday by the gendarmes, before being prohibited from leaving the national territory due to the ongoing investigations.
Wade is battling allegations of illegal enrichment, together with four other ministers including Oumar Sarr who was an ex- urbanization minister, ex-Mines Minister Abdoulaye Balde, ex- Foreign Minister Madick Niang and ex-Energy Minister Samuel Sarr.
According to the procedure, after the questioning, the files will be sent to the special prosecutor of the court for fighting against illegal enrichment (CREI) who will request the court to determine whether the suspects have a case to answer.
CREI will sent a request to the concerned individuals to prove the origin of their wealth within one month. Their wealth will be declared illegal if they fail to prove its origin.
If found guilty, the accused risk a jail term ranging from five to 10 years and a fine that is equivalent to the wealth that they may have acquired illegally. (Xinhua)

DR Congo,Rwanda,Uganda leaders urge M23 rebels to pull out of Goma

 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila, Rwanda's Paul Kagame and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday urged the M23 rebels to pull out of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern DRC. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who is the chair of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region told reporters here at the end of their two-day meeting here that a detailed pull out plan would be given to the rebels.
"The rebels should get out of the town in a plan which we shall give them, there will be a force to observe that nobody violates the ceasefire," he said.
He said a safe passage would be given to the rebels and efforts would be made to ensure that they are not attacked during the pull out.
In the joint communique, the leaders said that although the M23 have legitimate concerns, they must stop their expansionism.
"Even if there were legitimate grievances by the mutinying group known as the M23, they cannot accept the expansion of this war or entertain the idea of overthrowing the legitimate government of the DRC or undermining its authority," the communique said.
Museveni said that after the M23 pulls out Goma, the DRC government will show the region how it plans to address the problem of negative forces in the eastern part of the country.
Kenyan court frees lawmakers over incitement charges
Meanwhile an envoy of President Joseph Kabila of DR Congo (DRC) on Wednesday met with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to seek help from Luanda over the armed conflict between the DRC government troops and M23 rebels.
Antoine Ghonda, the envoy, told reporters that his meeting with the Angolan leader focused on the latest developments in DR Congo, particularly in the eastern region, which he said "very difficult" as the North Kivu town of Goma of his country was under control of the rebels.
He said President Joseph Kabila sought to obtain advice from his Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo dos Santos to end the current crisis and to find out a permanent solution as Angola had the same experience but implemented a successful reconciliation process.
Antoine Ghonda stressed his country was open to direct dialogue with the leaders of those countries, while in Luanda he was seeking support for a political solution.
He said he believed President Jose Eduardo had a great vision and his advice will be helpful to bring peace and stability in the DRC and Central Africa.-Xinhua

Uganda`s Sserenkuma voted best player in Kenya

Gor Mahia claimed virtually all the major trophies in the Kenya Premier League (KPL) Gala night held on Wednesday night at the Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel.

    Teddy Akumu was voted the best midfielder of the year 2012 while head coach Zdravko Logarusic emerged the best coach of the season amid thunderous cheers.

   Other Gor Mahia recipients in the colourful Gala event graced by Assistant Sports Minister Kabando WA Kabando and Sports Commissioner Gordon Oluoch included Uganda’s duo Dan Sserunkuma and Ivans Anguyo who pocketed the Best player of the year and defender of the year title respectively.

  But the man of the day was undoubtedly Uganda’s Sserunkuma who climbed the podium three times. He finished second in the Fairplay player of the year behind John Barasa and third placed Obadiah Ndege.

  He climbed the podium yet again when he finished second behind top scorer John Barasa in the Golden Boot winner of the year before being crowned Best player of the season.He was awarded the glittering trophy by Kabando.

   Nevertheless, there was uproar in the well packed hall after Nassur Doka was named the best centre referee of the year. Everyone was expecting Damaris Kimani to be given the trophy following her sterling performance especially handling the highly billed Kenya derby pitting Gor Mahia and traditional arch rivals AFC Leopards few weeks ago.

   Davies Omweno finished second in the centre referee category with Tom Onyango coming third.The trophy was presented to the winners by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chairman Sam Nyamweya.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Youth & Sports will continue   to offer maximum support to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Kenya Premier League (KPL), Sports Assistant Minister Kabando Wa Kabando has assured.   

  He said the Ministry was impressed by the duo’s effort in promoting football   from the grassroots but pleaded with KPL to consider channeling their effort to the women League.

   Kabando noted with pride that the just ending season saw the return of huge spectators especially matches involving Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards  .He further noted that the standard of officiating have improved adding he was expecting a major turn out come next season.

   Speaking on behalf of Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba during the KPL gala awards at the Nairobi Safari park, Kabando lauded FKF   for their role especially training of referees and coaches.

   “While we celebrate our success, added Kabando, Our Fifa rankings have not been impressive.This is a major concern.Our campaign for Brazil World Cup in 2014 still remains on course.Let’s all put our heads together and improve our football standards.As a ministry, we shall support both FKF and KPL.”

  He called upon other co-operate  bodies  to emulate East Africa Breweries Limited(EABL)  who have  come in a massive way to sponsor Kenya football that was marred with wrangles in the past.

    While assuring Kenyans that the Sports Minister will grace Saturday’s Harambee Stars opening match against Uganda Cranes in Kampala, Kabando disclosed that the Ministry had just spend Kshs.1 million for Air tickets for the entire Harambee Stars contingent that will represent the country in the regional Cecafa Challe nge Cup in Uganda.The events kicks off from Saturday November 24-December 8.

     He lauded sponsors Supersports Channel for bringing football live from the region adding that those who will be unable to travel to Uganda will be able to watch matches live in their sitting rooms.

And AFC Leopards Chairman Alex Ole Magelo might crack the whip against any member of the  technical bench  who will be implicated in any wrong doing that saw the club finish third in the  just ended Tusker Premier League. 

  The club boss said though the team’s performance compared to previous years was impressive, he still had a bone to pick with the technical bench who did not live up to their expectations.

   ‘There were  so many lapses that culminated with the team  losing in the final match against Chemelil Sugar which is  unacceptable.We should have wrapped up the League title long time  ago but because of  issues  which I need to be told, we were unable to deliver” Observed Magelo.

    Magelo was scheduled to meet the Technical bench on Thursday November 22 to draft the way forward and   get the inside story before unleashing his punishment to those involved.

  However, Magelo had good words for sponsors Mumias Sugar company for helping the club in various ways. ‘We were able  even to purchase a state of the art Buss, insured our players in the start of the season and paying  players  and technical bench on time.We are greatly delighted with their immense  support’ said he.

  The club recently dropped 10 players in what was described as poor performance in the just ending season.Top casualties included Oscar Kadenge, Brian Masiolo, Emmanuel Tostao and Robert Syongo among others.

Mayor Aladwa endorse Kidero`s Nairobi Governorship bid

By George Millah.

Nairobi Mayor and ODM Nairobi county Chairman George Aladwa has drummed up support for former Mumias Chief Executive Officer Dr Evans Kidero who is vying for the gubernatorial seat on an ODM ticket.

Aladwa said that in this era Kenyans and especially for Nairobi residents do need people like Kidero who has demonstrated  his managerial skills while at Mumias and should be given a chance to transform Nairobi to a working City.

He also said during Kidero’s reign he managed to give a face lift to Mumias Sugar which he found under serious financial crisis and also considering other institutions like Nation Media group ,Smith kline Company where Kidero  also worked as CEO performed quite well in-terms of performance and production.

‘As we approach 2013 elections and to get a good team leader for the entire country my Man is Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga for Presidency and manager for the City am fully behind Dr Evans Kidero as the governor, therefore am urging you all to follow my foot steps and take your campaigns to a higher level and market the two prominent personalities without fear or intimidation,” added Aladwa.

When given a chance to speak, Dr Kidero expressed hope that the independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission will ensure fairness and transparency in the coming elections.

He also cautioned the Youth against being used by politicians to cause violence during campaigns.

‘Youth should shun acts of violence and work towards uniting community,” he added.

He was speaking at ODM Nairobi county head office in lavington where he was addressing close to over 450 county aspirants to educate them on complying with requirements set by the electoral body a head of the March 4^th elections..

Amongst those who have offered their candidature under the new constitutional dispensation Dr Kidero is believed to be the front runner between former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia, assistant Minister for housing and Starehe Member of Parliament Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, former Nairobi stock exchange Chief Executive Jimmna Mbaru who is coming in with TNA ticket, Nairobi Central Business District Association Chairman Timothy Muriuki, Former adviser to Prime Minister Raila Odinga Miguna Miguna and suspended assistant Minister for water and member of parliament for Embakasi constituency facing hate speech charges and inciting violence Hon Ferdinand Waititu.

Huawei Technology boost Soya ceremony

The  Kenya Sports personality of the year Awards(Soya) got a  major boost on monday from the Huawei Technology Kenya who gave out KSh1.5million to support this year’s ninth edition whose gala night will be held on December 6 at the  Nairobi's Carnivore hotel in Nairobi.

Former world marathon record holder and five times cross country champion Paul Tergat thanked the Huawei for the kind gesture saying the money will help Soya to make the gala night more colorful.

“This is the third  year Huawei are coming on board, they gave us Sh350,000 in 2010,Sh500,000 in 2011 and now Sh1.5million,this shows their sponsorship is increasing by the day and we are grateful for that,” said Tergat who is Soya founder.

While appreciating their continuous partnership the Huawei Kenya CEO Wind Li said: “Soya awards have become part of our company’s annual calendar, and as a global company with local presence this shows our continued commitment to invest and promote Kenyan talents.

Just as Huawei is known for its leadership in ICT internationally so is Kenya known for its sports achievements, thus our drive to continue recognizing and appreciating their efforts in representing this beautiful country.”

The public have been urged to send in their nominations for other 15 categories before November 30, 2012 which is the closing date.

  Nevertheless, the panelists  have ruled out any possibility of considering further entries .

 Soya panelist made the announcement   as Federations and associations in the country made  frantic efforts to present lists of their nominees following the recent announcement that only seven sports candidates have been short listed for the overall

 The Panelists confirmed having received entries  from volleyball ,cricket, basketball, and other sports  associations  seeking to enter the lucrative  contest.They stated that

 owing to strict deadlinee , they have opted to settle  with the seven finalists they named last Friday that includes  Olympic 800m record holder David Rudisha and Paralympics 800m record holder Abraham Tarbei.

Others are world marathon majors champion Mary Keitany, world 5000m and 10,000m women’s champion Vivian Cheruiyot who will also be defending the Soya title, Olympic 3000m steeplechase  champion Ezekiel Kemboi and Harambee Stars and Celtic FC midfielder Victor Wanyama.

But the Soya panelists have assured that hope is not lost for the late entrants in the overall category as they will be redirected to contest for either the Sportswoman or Sportsman of the year awards.

“We as the panelists have done our research thoroughly and have concluded that the above seven finalists deserve to contest for the overall title irrespective of any entry that might be made now. We chose them due to their exemplary performance and achievements recorded this year,” said Soya panelist Evelyn Watta.

Meanwhile Football Kenya Federation(FKF) has printed a  total of 20,000 ticket for the eagerly awaited FKF Cup final pitting defending Champions Gor Mahia against Sofapaka.The match will be staged  tomorrow(tuesday)at the Nyayo National Stadium under floodlights from 7pm.
 Tickets  will be retailing at Kshs.500  for the main stand popularly known as the VIP area where 3,000 tickets have  been assigned. 17,000 tickets  have  been printed for the terraces and surrounding areas that will cost at Kshs.200 per person.
   Owing to their previous superb work, Wells Fargo security Services have been hired to take charge of the match.Tickets  go on sale from  9 am on the match day (Tuesday, November 20th, 2012).
They could be obtained at the Times Tower and Kenya Cinema where Wells
Fargo will have their vans and at all the six booths at the Nyayo
Stadium.
   Sylvester Kirwa will be the center referee assisted by  Peter Kiereini, Peter Sabatia,  and Isaac Ochieng.Gladys Waweru will be the  match commissioner respectively.
Football Kenya Federation(FKF)  head of technical  Elly ,Mukolwe has assured motorists and fans of adequate security.'I wopuld like to assure soccer fans that we shall provide hitech ands top ranked security.Those who graced the Gor Mahia versus AFC leopards   match on saturday  at Kasarani can bear us witness.There was no bad incident.Fans went home peacefully and that is what we are anticipating  tomorrow(tuesday).' Observed Mukolwe.

Gor to face SofaPaka in FKF finals

By Fred Maingi

Sofapaka  will now  face Gor Mahia in the finals of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) after edging out Tusker Premier League (TPL) defending Champions Tusker with a solitary goal in a thrilling semi final tie staged at the Moi International Sports centre (Kasarani).

    Joseph Nyaga notched in the magical goal for Sofapaka after he received a nice pass from Heritier Luvualu to beat Tusker custodian George Opiyo.

    The goal was widely cheered by the entire Sofapaka technical bench who felt cheated after referee Anthony Ogwayo denied them a clear goal scored after 53 minutes from Humphrey Mieno’s sumptuous free kick.The ball pierced through the net but while Sofapaka players were cheering the goal, the referee aptly declined to accept the goal.

  Sofapaka players tried to argue their case with the referee but the latter stuck to his guns.But during the argument, Tusker players took a short free kick that ended with Ken Wendo scoring a minute later after the disputed goal but yet again, the goal was disallowed.

    Nevetheless,Sofapaka deserved to win the match with a bigger margin.Top scorer John Barasa could have given Sofapaka  an earely lead on 39^th minute  but his rasping shot hit the post before rebounding back to play with Opiyo well beaten between the posts .

  Luvualu who was later replaced by John Njoroge almost scored a second goal on 76^th minute but he was slow in tapping Nyaga’s cross while another free kick from  Sofapaka’s Abdalla Juma in the 53^rd minute hit the crossbar for a fruitless corner.

     Sofapaka will now face off with Gor Mahia in the FKF cup final slated for Tuesday at the same venue.The winner will represent the country in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Ngunjiri Wambugu responds to Uhuru Kenyatta on elections

Two comments by Uhuru Kenyatta have come to my attention.

The first one is how Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta keeps comparing his 2002 defeat in the Presidential race with the 2007 general election dispute between PNU and ODM. On more than one occasion he has suggested that whereas he conceded defeat in 2002 for the sake of the country, those who refused to do the same in 2007 directly led to the post election violence that left over a thousand dead, and millions displaced. Basically what Uhuru Kenyatta is saying is that he believes that PNU won the last election, and ODM refused to do what KANU had done in 2002, i.e. concede defeat. On this basis he argues that ODM is politically responsible for the violence of 2007/08.

The facts are that in 2002 Uhuru Kenyatta got 1,836,055 votes as compared to Mwai Kibaki’s 3,647,658 votes. This means Uhuru lost by close to two million votes. This also means that whether he had conceded or not, it was clear to literally everyone that he had lost the elections. There is no way anyone was going to the streets even if he had refused to concede defeat.

On the other hand in 2007 Kenya had to form a Commission to investigate the 2007 general election results. This Commission, headed by Justice Johann Kriegler, stated that it was not clear whether Kibaki had actually gotten the 4,584,721 votes that had been used to declare him the winner over Raila Odinga, who accumulated 4,352,993 votes. This difference of around two hundred thousand votes was enough to cause tension even in a free and fair election. In a situation where, to quote the commission "the conduct of elections was so materially defective that it is impossible to establish true or reliable results for the presidential and parliamentary elections’, it became the basis of violence. The commission went on to say that although in there was room for honest disagreement as to whether there was rigging of the presidential results, the answer was irrelevant as the recorded and reported results were so inaccurate as to render any reasonably accurate, reliable and convincing conclusion impossible.

However Uhuru Kenyatta would want us to believe that he knows who won, and who lost the elections. He would also want to point fingers at the person who is to blame for the lost lives and property, as well as the stain to the national fabric of Kenya that is the 2007 post election violence, despite the fact that he has been confirmed as having a case to answer at the Hague for it. He also forgets that it is due to the un-certainty of the 2007 election results that he is a Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya.

I also see something even ‘darker’ than mere ‘forgetfulness’ in this statement. One would wonder why Uhuru Kenyatta seems determined to re-kindle the very argument that led to the 2007 post election violence a few months to another general election. Is he trying to recreate the political environment that led to the 2007 blood-bath? Why would he want to raise the basis of a conflict that led to over 1,300 dead Kenyans, over 3,000 raped women, over 600,000 displaced Kenyans at a time when there is no reason to do so? What is his focus in doing this? What does he want to achieve?

Incidentally maybe Uhuru does not realize that his preferred running mate for the 2013 general election has stubbornly stuck to the argument that the 2007 post election violence was a spontaneous reaction to a stolen election. As far as William Ruto is concerned the 2007 post election violence is directly related to PNU refusing to concede defeat at the hands of ODM. I would like to see Uhuru take his argument to a public rally in William Ruto’s political backyard.

What Uhuru Kenyatta is trying to do is very dangerous for Kenya especially because there is no similarity between him accepting what was essentially a resounding defeat in 2002, and the election fiasco that was the 2007 general election. As far as I am concerned, (and I voted for PNU in 2007) Uhuru is playing a very dangerous game of inciting Kenyans back to the post-2007 political climate in his attempts to build a political following towards the next general elections. He must be told off by every Kenyan who wishes to see a peaceful election in 4 months.

My second concern is on his comments about all Mt Kenya joining TNA. Why would Hon Kenyatta assume he can tell leaders like Hon Martha Karua and Hon Kiraitu Murungi, who were fighting against Former President Moi and the KANU juggernaut when he was in political diapers, which party to join in order to win in the next election? Political hubris is a dangerous thing.

Al Ahly clinch African CAF Champions league

Egyptian side Al Ahly beat African CAF Champions League holders Esperance of Tunisia 2-1 on Saturday 17 November 2012 to lift a record seventh African club Champions crown. Mohamed Nagy "Gedo” sent Al Ahly 0-1 up on 43 minutes then added a second two minutes past the hour mark through Walid Soliman in the game played at the Rades Olympique Stadium. Esperance, the winners of the ultimate African Club Cup in 2011, got a goal on 85 minutes through Hervé Yannick N'Djeng, a goal that turned out to be a consolation in the second leg tie. During the first leg played Sunday 4 November 2012, Esperance forced Al Ahly to a 1-1 draw at the Borg El Arab Stadium. The win earns Al Ahly $1.5 million with Esperance taking the runner up purse of $1 million. Mohamed Nagy "Gedo” sent Al Ahly 0-1 up on 43 minutes then added a second two minutes past the hour mark through Walid Soliman in the game played at the Rades Olympique Stadium. Esperance, the winners of the ultimate African Club Cup in 2011, got a goal on 85 minutes through Hervé Yannick N'Djeng, a goal that turned out to be a consolation in the second leg tie. During the first leg played Sunday 4 November 2012, Esperance forced Al Ahly to a 1-1 draw at the Borg El Arab Stadium. The win earns Al Ahly $1.5 million with Esperance taking the runner up purse of $1 million.

Gormahia silence their bitter rivals AFC Leopards in Kenya soccer derby

By Fred Maingi

Gor Mahia proved their critics wrong with a 2-1 triumph over their bitter rivals Afc Leopards in one of the semi finals of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) tie staged at the 60,000 seater Moi International Stadium.

  The winner of the tournament will represent the country in the CAF Africa Confederation Cup.

   Gor suffered an early blow barely after nine minutes after their Ugandan lethal striker Dan Sserunkuma was seriously injured.He was wheeled off to the touchline but could not make a comeback. He was replaced by Edwin Lavatsa who gave a good account of himself in the pitch.

  Gor took the lead after 12minutes through Kevin Omondi who beat his marker Edwin Wafula to place the ball far beyond Leopards keeper Patrick Matasi.

   Encouraged, Gor came in the picture but could not translate their chances.However, AFC Leopards were more rampant midway in the first half where they gave Gor hectic moments.

  Gor Keeper Ivo Mapunda was a busy man as he was kept on his toes by Leopards strikers Mike Barasa, Allan Wanga, Paul Were and Jimmy Bagaye.

    Gor extended their lead on 52^nd minute through Moses Odhiambo whose rasping shot found Matasi in Leopards goal bemused.Leopards defenders felt Odhiambo was  offside only to find out referee  David  Omweno had different ideas.

   Charles Okwemba pulled one back for Leopards in the 81^st minute.Surprisingly, the match did not attract the good attendance associated with the derby owing to security scare.

   Last weekend, Gor Mahia fans were engaged in violence and criminal acts after they were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Thika United thereby spoiling their ambition of clinching the Kenya premier League title.

  Gor Mahia will now face the winner between defending Champions League champions Tusker and Sofapaka FC.Both teams will face off in the other semi final tie at the same venue on Sunday.

Meanwhile Hassan Wasswa will be Uganda’s skipper in this year’s CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.

Wasswa was appointed after Godfrey Walusimbi rejected the opportunity to captain the team in the tournament that is set to kick off on Saturday 24 November in Kampala.

Walusimbi told me he wasn’t ready. I think he is ready but I can never force a player to take up responsibility if he thinks or feels otherwise, Uganda Cranes coach told Press.

Wasswa is a currently club-less after he was released by Turkish side Kayseri Erciyesspor. He has previously played for Kampala City FC, Ethiopian giants St. Georges, F.C Cape Town, Turkish sides Kardemir Karabukspor and Altay S.K.

He has been capped 12 times by the Ugandan National team.

Uganda has been pooled alongside rivals Kenya, Ethiopia and newcomers South Sudan in Group A.

Nigerian military kills Boko Haram Commander as fighting resumes in Eastern DRC

Mende:DRC Information Minister

Nigerian military says it killed a Boko Haram commander on Thursday in the northeast city of Maiduguri during an operation coordinated and executed by almost all the nation's security agents.
Spokesman of the military-led Joint Task Force (JTF), Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement on Thursday evening that a "sustained follow up operation was conducted by the combine troops of the JTF Operation Restore Order, 333 Air Defense Regiment, the Department of State Security supported by Armoured Personnel Carriers with helicopters."
He said the "major offensive" was conducted against the Boko Haram sect at Nganaram, Bulabulin and Bayan Quarters areas of Maiduguri metropolis.
"During the offensive and in a counter attack, a major commander of the Boko Haram terrorist sect, commanding the North West and North East of Maiduguri by name Ibn Saleh Ibrahim, with some of his commanders and foot soldiers," Lt Col Musa added.
Maiduguri, located in Nigeria's northeastern region, is a Boko Haram flashpoint, where the Nigerian government had declared and lifted some curfews due to wave of attacks.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its latest report that more than 1,500 people, including women and children, had been killed in various attacks by the Boko Haram sect since 2009. (Xinhua)
Meanwhile fighting resumed on Thursday in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo after a three-month truce between the government forces FARDC and the M23 rebel group, according to official sources.
A number of combats erupted at Kibumba, 25 km from Goma, capital of the eastern province of North Kivu in the Central African country. Local officials put the death toll at 44 on the side of the M23.
"The positions of the FARDC in the zone of Kibumba were massively attacked by the elements of the M23, which has occupied the small locality of Gisiza in the proximity of the frontier with Rwanda," DR Congo Minister of Media Lambert Mende said.
Mende condemned "the barbarous act" by the M23 while the government was hosting a meeting of military experts from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in the provincial capital Goma.
The Goma meeting is the latest in a series held by the 11 ICGLR countries in the past months to prepare an international neutral force along DR Congo's borders. (Xinhua)

Victor Wanyama nominated for SOYA awards

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Victor Wanyama

By Fred Maingi
Scotland based  Celtic FC  and Harambee Stars midfielder Victor Mugubi Wanyama has been nominated  for the annual Kenya Sports Personality of the year award.
   The Glasgow Celtics  anchorman is the only footballer in the  shortlist of seven that was
released by the Sportsman of the year  award(SOYA) panel on thursday morning at a Nairobi Hotel.
“Mugubi has been outstanding for his club ,Celtics both in the domestic league and also in the champions league. He has also been a tremendous  asset to the national team ,Harambee stars and has improved the profile of Kenyan football worldwide” said SOYA panel
chairperson Evelyn watta
Mugubi who did not join his compatriots for Wednesday’s international  friendly against Tanzania in which Kenya lost 1-0 has enjoyed a very successful year with    his Celtic’s side winning a league and cup double. More recently he scored  the vital first goal in his  clubs
euphoric 2-1 win over World club champions and Spanish giants  Barcelona in the group stages of the UEFA champions league
   Other leadingh Kenya sportsmen included  in the Soya Awards list include David  Rudisha-Olympic world and  800m record holder, Paralympian Abraham Tarbei,3000 m steeplechase Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi ,multiple  swimming medal winner Jason Dunford, double Olympic sliver medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and reigning sports personality of the  year  Vivian Cheruiyot and    Mary Keitany.
   Previously Mugubi’s elder brother McDonald Mariga was nominated  for  the top award in 2010 fro his role in his club inter Milan’s run to clinching a rare treble of European, Italian league and Italia cup.
     Other footballers who have prominently  featured in the past include   national soccer captain Dennis oliech as well as 2010 KPL footballer of the year George ‘Blackberry’ odhiambo.
     The SOYA  Ceremony  has been slated for the  6th December  at the prestigious Nairobi Safari park hotel with the deadlines for nominations  set for the end of this month

Kenya`s Harambee Stars go down fighting in Mwanza

Tanzania`s Taifa Stars  kept their ambition frothing ahead of the forthcoming Tusker Cecafa Challenge Cup with a hard laboured 1-0 triumph over visiting Kenya’s Harambee Stars in an international Fifa friendly match staged at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza, Tanzania.
    Tanzania ‘s  Aggrey Morris who turns  up for Azam FC provided a death warrant to seal victory for the home team with a sixth minute goal that went past Kenya  Goalkeeper Jerim Onyango.
    Kenya however played under protests claiming Tanzania did not bother to  bring neutral referees. Local referees were used which is  against Fifa regulations that recommend neutral whistlers to handle International friendly matches especially when Fifa rankings is at stake.
  Nevertheless, Kenya came with their guns blazing in the second half pinning their hosts in their own half.Playing without majority of their foreign based players led by Celtic star midfielder Victor Wanyama, and Keeper Arnold  Origi who plays in Norway,they were  able to turn their opponents defence upside down but could not translate their chances to goals.
  Kenya’s French based striker Dennis Oliech was a horn in the Tanzania backline  but was fully marked like a prisoner by Taifa Stars defenders led by Erasto Nyoni ,Kelvin Yondani and Amir Maftah.
The team is expected back in Nairobi on Thursday with the foreign based Stars expected to head straight to their clubs.
After the friendly match, all attention will shift to the Cecafa and the CHAN qualifiers against Burundi.
This is the second loss for coach Henri Michel in the two matches he has been in charge since taking over the Stars. On October 16th, Kenya lost to South Africa 2-1 at home in Nairobi in another friendly match and with Tanzania (134) being lower in FIFA ranking compared to Kenya (130) then it is expected that Kenya could drop again in the next FIFA ranking release.

Youthful aspirany launches his political bid

By George Millah and Jirongo Luyali

 Ruaraka Parliamentary Youthful aspirant on an ODM ticket George Opiyo popularly known as ‘Nyorosha” has launched his campaign bid and pledged to residents of Baba Dogo and Korogocho that he will not embezzle government funds meant for development.

He also assured them that he will be on the forefront in stepping up security and setting up micro finance institutions so as to create job for the youth. He told the voters that bad governance is attributed to lack of visionary leaders, he however asked them to support him in his bid so as to clinch the seat.

 “I can not make it alone but through your assistance,” he said.

Opiyo an engineer by profession is contesting against two rivals whom to many are viewed to be his main challengers in terms of influence, political experience and popularity within the constituency are former Nairobi Mayor and Baba Dogo ward Councilor Geoffrey Majiwa and prominent Nairobi Lawyer TJ K’ajwan’g who is a younger brother to Minister for Immigration and MP for Mbita Hon Gerald Otieno K’ajwan’g.

Opiyo urged leaders to refrain from defecting from ODM

to other party’s without clear vision as this will jeopardize and weaken the party and on equality he promised to see to it that industries in the area employ at least 30 percent of people from the area.

“I will be instrumental in fighting corruption, bad governance and tribalism,” he said.

He told ODM followers and supporters to consider politics as a football match and not a dirty game as it is always said. 

Opiyo reminded the residents of Ruaraka that they should enjoy this game of politics just like they do for football.

Opiyo was also accompanied by his Italian wife Maria Opiyo and ODM officials from Ruaraka constituency.

Mrs. Opiyo addressed the gathering in Italian and her speech was translated by her husband. She also charmed the gathering with her little luo and Swahili words

Others who stole the show were a prominent Migori and Awendo Businessman Majid Khan who acted as a luo elder and spoke fluent Luo to the amazement of those in attendance.

Mr. Majid said that no community is superior than the other but we should all live in harmony especially during this period of electioneering citing Kenya’s flawed December 2007 Presidential elections that provoked a two month orgy violence which has been described as the country’s most severe human rights crisis, over 1,000 Kenyans killed and 600, 00 thousand more displaced from their homes.

Opiyo concluded by urging them to come out in large numbers during voter registration exercise and pleaded with them to elect Prime Minister Raila Odinga for President Come 2013 general elections and Dr Evans Kidero for Nairobi Governorship.

Gor Mahia matches now to be played at Kasarani

By Fred Maingi

Following the recent hooliganism and running riots that saw Gor Mahia fans vandalise public vehicles over the weekend, the club has now been ordered to play all their matches with immediate effect at the 60,000 seater Moi International Sports centre Kasarani.

   This means the club’s traditional home ground-Nairobi City Stadium will be a no-go zone for any activity involving the club.The new measures will be in effect until the club provides Football Kenya Federation (FKF), Kenya Premier League (KPL) and sponsor’s Supersport with a detailed safety and security plan and Anti-hooganism policy for all future matches in accordance with the rules governing Kenya football and ensure the implementation policy by December 30^th 2012.

    FKF, KPL and Supersports officials met on Wednesday morning in Nairobi where they agreed to lift temporarily the ban on televising Gor Mahia matches until investigations are concluded and the FKF and KPL disciplinary bodies deliberate and submit their decision by next Friday November 23, 2012.

  The club was also directed to initiate the process in identifying the perpetrators and hooligans and charge them in a court of law.

  The pre-event safety & security meeting for the FKF cup semi finals shall be held on Thursday (tomorrow November 15) at 11am at Kasarani Stadium.It will involve the four participating clubs, officials and later a peaceful procession at 2pm.

  The two semi final matches slated for this weekend will however be televised live by Supersport Channel.