2016010120 xnews

WEDNESday, JANUARY 20, 2016 | www.x254.co

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authority to demolish unsafe city buildings executive director of the national construction authority Daniel manduku says half of buildings in the capital are not approved for human habitation

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NEWS

neymar to lead barcelona attack as messi, suarez are ruled out

serena williams, federer pull through in australian open

S Panel unearths

tricks of corrupt police officers

National Police Service Commission chairman Johstone Kavuludi (centre) who also chairs the vetting panel addresses the press in Nairobi today. He today said police officers use electronic money transfer services such as Mpesa to cover their corrupt dealings.

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even senior police officers have been sacked from the National Police Service even as the vetting panel unearth numerous tricks the officers used to extort money from the public through corruption dealings.

National Police Service Commission (NPSC) announced today that it has dismissed seven officers from service after being found unsuitable to continue serving the public.

The seven were among a pool of 31 police officers whose results remained pending after they failed the vetting process.

They were sacked “for a variety of reasons including human rights abuses, criminal activities, corruption, forgery of academic certificates, submission of fake bank and Mpesa statements and human trafficking” according to NPSC chairman Johnstone Kavuludi. He said the panel established that police officers use electronic money transfer services such as Mpesa to facilitate corruption.

Most notably, a number of Mpesa kiosks within or around police stations are either owned or contracted by the police officers for purposes of facilitating direct money tranfers in order to cover their tracks.

“The vetting of this cohort brought into sharp focus the role of electronic money transfer, especially Mpesa in facilitation corruption,” Kavudludi said adding that through a scrutiny of Mpesa transactions, the commission was able to establish a worrying trend where junior police officers remitted money to their senior regularly.

“It also emerged that most Mpesa kiosks within and around police stations are either owned or contracted by police officers for purposes of facilitating direct money transfers in order to cover their tracks. The depositors are mostly motorists or junior officers making transfers to their seniors,” he added before releasing the vetting results of the 31 officers whose suitability scrutiny was mostly centered on Mpesa transactions.

Those dismissed include Lawrence Martin Kariuki, William Meto Kiprotich and Joseph Kipkemoi Kemeli all of whom are in the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).

Others are Assistant Superintendent of Police Peter Kemboi Chemos and Jackson Muriuki Magambo, Samuel Olentutu Olenkiti and Samuel Bore Kipwese who are as Superintendents of Police.

They are free to appeal the verdict.

“The officers may request for a review of the decision in line with the Vetting Regulation 33 (1) provided the request is based on the discovery of a new and important matter which was not within the knowledge of, or could not be produced by the officer at the time the determination was made,” Kavuludi CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 said.

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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

NCA to demolish unsafe city buildings

The National Construction Authority (NCA) will demolish buildings that were found to be unsafe for human habitation in Nairobi, the authority’s executive director Daniel Manduku has announced.

Half of the houses inspected by the Authority in Nairobi last year were found not fit for habitation and earmarked for demolition.

The buildings have defects ranging from structural issues to lack of proper social amenities and serviceable lifts for commercial buildings.

Speaking today at a Nairobi hotel, Manduku said most of the buildings did not meet the requisite standards and were not registered with the Authority as required.

“Most of the buildings we have marked for demolition do not meet the set standards for any housing to be termed fit for residence or business,” said Manduku.

The Authority cited Eastlands area as the worst hit as it records the highest number of defective buildings and disputed constructions.

NCA inspected 7,835 houses last year during its technical audit across the Nairobi region.

Manduku said the Authority has suspended and deregistered some contractors who do shoddy work and also requested the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to accord its legal officers the mandate to prosecute rogue contractors.

“We have asked Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko to give our legal officers the mandate to

Police and NYS personnel in a rescue operation at the scene of a collapsed building in Makongeni, Nairobi last year. The national Construction Authority says it will demolish all unsafe buildings in the city.

prosecute the offenders to avoid the long process of bringing justice to the people,” added Manduku.

NCA building inspectorate secretary Moses Nyakiongora they have already demolished two houses in Mathare and Kahawa estates and pledged to demolish more that have

Panel unearths tricks of corrupt police officers

From Page 1

At the same press conference, Kavuludi said the commission also realised that an officer who had been cleared by the panel, was later found to have used fake certificates during his recruitment.

And now, the commission wants the officer whose name Kavuludi revealed as Superintendent of Police Nelson Omwenga Nyakundi be subjected to disciplinary action.

“Members of the public and some officers informed the commission that Nyakundi had his forged documents during his recruitment thus prompting fresh investigations,” said Kavuludi He further said “His certificates suggest he sat for KCPE at 10 years, which is not possible.

Our Investigators went to his village but found family members knew him by a different name. There is another Nelson Nyakundi somewhere” He said details of Nyakundi’s have been forwarded to the DCI for further interrogations.

“We are sure we have other officers in the service who did not meet basic qualifications or used other people’s papers to gain entry. The commission is working on it and will dismiss them,” he warned. peter_x254

been found risky for habitation.

“We are planning to demolish more buildings that have not complied because our mandate is to uphold safety,” cautioned Nyakiongora.

He added that 52 houses have been recommended for further inspection to find out whether they are safe or

need to be demolished.

Further he said that most tenants are always reluctant to vacate after the Authority finds the building unsafe, claiming they have already paid a lot of rent.

Nyakiongora said the Authority has proposed reforms, including

an environmental bill to give it a mandate to check the maintenance of buildings and to train all contractors in the counties.

NCA is mandated to oversee the construction industry and coordinate its development to ensure proper and safety housing. wilson_x254

Kidero, Health ministry enter deal to resuscitate stalled Pumwani wards The Health ministry in collaboration with the Nairobi County Government are set to complete the construction of the stalled wards of Pumwani maternity Nyayo wards and Korogocho general hospitals.

The construction of the two health facilities that have stalled for more than 25 years will be resuscitated in the next three months in an effort to provide better health care services in the region.

Speaking yesterday while touring the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopas Mailu and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said the wards with a capacity of more than 300 beds will be revived in an effort to decongest the hospitals.

“We will look at ways of reviving the 300-bed Nyayo ward project as part of a countywide decongestion programme aimed at ensuring efficiency in providing necessary health care to the people of Nairobi,” he said.

The construction of the two health facilities was initiated in 1987 to the tune of close to 1.74 billion but has been halted by successful regimes due to unclear reasons which resulted to massive land grabbing of the facilities.

Governor Kidero said he was eager to collaborate with the Health ministry for better health care services of Nairobi

residents.

“As a county government, we are going to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health to ensure that Nairobi residents benefits from the best health care services,” said Kidero.

The governor also assured the public that the six-acre piece of land that belonged to the Pumwani health facility will be retrieved from the grabbers who

had reduced it to less than an acre.

“We are working with the county and the Lands ministry to ensure that we recover the land within the shortest time possible,” added Kidero.

Mailu said that in partnership with the county government, his ministry would also launch a new trauma centre in Pumwani that will serve the cases of accidents especially those drawn from motorcycles.

“We have identified an area within the ward that will serve as a trauma centre for use by motor vehicle accident victims and deep tissue injuries for the people,” added Mailu.

The two leaders also said they will ensure that the Mathari Nyayo wards construction is completed by July 2017.

They also assured patients that the past negative incidences that has marred the facility are being dealt with and are not expected to re occur in future.

NEWS 3 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

Four suspects on terror list gunned down in Malindi Four men described as most wanted terror suspects were killed in a shootout with police on Wednesday morning.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said the suspects were shot dead in Malindi at dawn.

“The four were killed during a shootout with officers,” Boinnet said on telephone adding, “firearms, mobile phones and other high explosive materials were recovered.”

The officers had gone to arrest the suspects when they confronted them.

Police say they had been hunting the four over a series of attacks and plans to cause more attacks in various parts of the country.

Authorities have lately intensified the war against terror in the country since the attack on an AMISOM camp in Somalia where an unknown number of Kenyan soldiers were killed.

And in Nairobi, two suspected thugs were shot dead early today after they tried to break into Milano Hotel along Ronald Ngala Street in the city center.

The two middle-aged men were among the four people believed to have been planning to steal from stalls on the street, according to police, saying that they were tipped off by the public on Tuesday.

“We trailed the suspects and caught up with them at 6am. Two escaped but we are still pursuing them,” Nairobi OCPD Paul Wanjama said, adding that the suspects had been attacking residents of Shauri Moyo, Ronald Ngala street and River Road.

One of the thugs who were shot dead had been captured on CCTV two months ago at Eagles School Uniforms.

Uhuru: Politics won’t distract me President Uhuru Kenyatta has said he is working to fulfil the pledges he made to the people of Kenya and in that task he is not in competition with any other elected leader.

He said Kenya is a democracy and holds elections after every five years but after the polls, Kenyans must shelve political differences and work together to develop the country.

“I am not in competition with any governor, any MP or any other elected leader. No one will stop me from doing what Kenyans elected me to do.

I will implement development in all parts of the country without discrimination,” President Kenyatta said.

The President was speaking at Mtwapa town, Kilifi County, where he stopped to address residents.

He cited the issuance of title deeds in Likoni and Lamu, the launch of the construction of the Port Reitz-Moi International access road, the commissioning of the Sh46 million water project in Faza, the launch of the national street lighting project and the construction of the Sh573 million Baricho water project as some of the development he has presided over during his visit to the Coast. “We are doing all this because we know Ken-

President Uhuru Kenyatta on a meet the people tour in Mtwapa, Kilifi County yesterday. He said politics will not destract him from delivering on his pledges.

yans will not benefit from endless political bickering, but tangible development that has direct impact on their lives,” President Kenyatta said. He urged leaders to respect one another, embrace mature, issue-based politics and join hands in serving Kenyans

Help us weed out rogue surveyors, Kaimenyi pleads Lands Cabinet secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi has asked the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) to expedite the process of weeding out rogue surveyors practising illegally in the country.

While inaugurating the new Board members at his Ardhi House offices Monday, Kaimenyi urged the board to enhance its partnership with institutions of higher learning to improve the soft skills of its registered professionals and stakeholders to enhance service delivery. “In the best interest of professionalism and avoidance of quacks, partner with institutions of higher learning such as the Management University of Africa and the University of Nairobi to sharpen your skills,” he told the board. He added that he would work closely with the board, the Department of Immigration and the Un-Habitat to weed out foreigners practising illegally in the country.

“The fact that they (foreigners) continue to practise illegally within our borders is a matter that should be tackled urgently in partnership with the Department of Im-

migration and other pertinent instruments of government,” said the CS. Kaimenyi also argued that working closely with the United Nations would strengthen the sustainability in the building sector particularly at the design stage. Asked why public schools have not been titled, the CS said that the matter was at an advanced staged and the titling would be rolled out in the near future.

The newly appointed board chairman Nathan Kureba said his team was ready toundertake reforms to instil professionalism in the sector, adding that they are set to launch a strategic plan in the next two months that will steer the industry to the next level.

“We will put more emphasis in ensuring that there is excellence and professionalism from our members,” said Kureba. The board is mandated to regulate the professions of Architecture and Quantity Surveying through training, registration and promotion of ethical practice in creating a sustainable Built and Natural Environment. @hillary_x254

once elections are over. “Time has come for true leaders to stand out and abandon outdated tribal politics,” President Kenyatta said.

Uhuru was with local MP Mustafa Idd, National Assembly Majority leader Aden Duale and Kilifi North MP

Gideon Mung’aro all of who spoke at the rally. Other leaders who spoke were MPs Naomi Shaban (Taveta) and Gonzi Rai (Kinango), Senators Emma Mbura (nominated), Mike Sonko (Nairobi) and Ali Bure (Tana River), among others.

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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

NEWS BRIEF

Libya’s unity govt unveiled Members of Libya’s proposed national unity government have been named under a UN-brokered deal aimed at uniting the country’s warring factions. The 32 names will be sent to the internationally recognised parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk for approval. But only seven members of the Tunis-based Presidency Council have signed the document. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The country has two rival parliaments, and the UN is urging them both to endorse the proposed unity government. Both parliaments are backed by different armed groups and there is still substantial opposition towards the new administration. The Presidency Council was agreed in December following UN-backed talks. It is made up of the prime minister, his five deputies and three ministers of state.

Vitenam says China oil rig is in contested waters Vietnam has pressed China to withdraw an oil rig from disputed waters in the South China Sea, potentially leading to a re-run of a 2014 standoff between the two neighbors. The country’s foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said Tuesday that China had moved its Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig to an area outside the Gulf of Tonkin on January 16. “Vietnam requests China not to conduct drilling activities and to withdraw the HYSY 981 oil rig from this area,” a statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Three Burkina Faso attackers still ‘at large’ Three people involved in last week’s Islamist attack in Burkina Faso are still at large, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said. The assault on a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The death toll has risen to 30 after a French-Moroccan photographer died from her injuries. Three gunmen were killed in Friday’s operation, Mr Valls said. AQIM on Monday released their photos and names. AQIM said the assault was carried out by the al-Murabitoun battalion led by Algerian jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

At least 25 killed as gunmen attack Pakistani university

A university in the northwest of Pakistan has come under attack by armed militants, and at least 25 people have been killed, with a further 50 injured, an official told CNN. It’s not yet clear how many of the dead are attackers and how many are civilians but the death toll is expected to rise.

Gunfire and explosions were heard Wednesday morning local time from within Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, northwestern Pakistan.

There are still dead inside and the operation is ongoing, Bilal Faizi, a local emergency service spokesman told CNN. Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, an army spokesperson, said on Twitter that four attackers had been killed and that government troops had resumed control of all buildings and rooftops.

There have so far been no claims of responsibility.

Two of the university attackers have been killed by security forces, Saeed Khan Wazir, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, of the Mardan Range region told CNN. There are fears that the remaining attacker or attackers are holding hostages within the campus grounds. Pakistan Army soldiers have entered the university, according to Geo News, citing a reporter on the scene.

University faculty, administrative staff and students are in the university grounds. Five injured people have so far been evacuated from the campus, the report states, but none of the 3,000 students and 600 guests on the university campus have been injured, according to Pakistani media, citing an audio message released by Fazal Rahim Marwat,

ALert: Security personnel take positions outside the Bacha Khan University in Pakistan which was attacked bu gunman early today. At least 25 people had been reported killed by the time we went to press.

vice-chancellor of Bacha Khan University.

“Security forces are present on site and are combating the terrorists in a gunfight, but as yet are not sure how many terrorists are holed up inside the university,” Geo News reported.

A heavy contingent of officers is currently taking part in an operation against at least three suspected militants, who are reportedly hiding out in different parts of the campus.

Bajwa, the army spokesperson, earlier tweeted that the attackers have been contained within two blocks of the university and operations are ongoing, and also said on Twitter that the Army was conducting air surveillance above the university. “Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is deeply grieved over the

sad incident of terrorists’ attack on Bacha Khan University, Charsada, which has reportedly resulted into the loss of precious human lives and injured many others,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office read.

“While condemning the cowardly attack of the terrorists, the Prime Minister said that those killing innocent students and citizens have no faith and religion.”

The statement signed off with a quote from Sharif.

“We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland. The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain,” the statement quoted the Prime Minister, who is currently in Zurich, as saying.

The past few days have seen an increase in militancy in the

region, including an attack on a checkpoint in Khyber Agency, a region west of Peshawar that borders Afghanistan, where ten people were killed and 36 others injured.

The university was founded in 2012 and named after Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a 1920s Pashtun independence activist and pacifist also known as Bacha Khan, who died in 1988. Today is the 28th anniversary of his death, according to media reports.

The university, in Charsadda, near the border with Afghanistan, is less than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar, site of a December 2014 attack by militants from the Pakistan iTaliban. One hundred forty-five people, including 132 children and the school’s principal, were killed in that attack.

Sarah Palin backs Donald Trump for US President Donald Trump’s Republican presidential bid has received the backing of Sarah Palin, the populist ex-governor of Alaska who was the Republican vicepresidential candidate in 2008.

“Are you ready to stump for Trump?” Ms Palin asked cheering supporters at a campaign rally

in Iowa. She was John McCain’s running mate in 2008 before they lost to Barack Obama.

Despite retiring from politics in favour of a media career, she remains an influential conservative voice. Officially announcing her endorsement, Ms Palin said Mr Trump was

Sarah Palin and Donald trump at the Iowa rally last night. Palin has thrown her weight behind Mr trump in the republican nomination race.

someone ready to let US troops “kick Isis’ ass”, using another name for the self-styled Islamic State group. “We are ready for a change,” she told the rally in Ames, Iowa.

“He (Trump) is beholden to no one but ‘we, the people’. He is perfectly positioned to let you make America great again.”

The New York businessman, who leads the Republican race, said in a statement that he was “proud” to receive her backing.

Ms Palin was a “trusted conservative” with a “proven record of being fiscally modest, staunchly pro-life and [she] believes in small government that allows businesses to grow and freedom to prosper”, the statement added.

Her backing could help insulate Mr Trump against charges that he’s not a true believer in the cause due to his support for liberal political issues and candidates in the past.

At the very least, she could add even more crowd-drawing power to a Trump campaign that already fills entire sports arenas.

Mrs Palin was just two years into her Alaskan governorship when she was picked by John McCain to be his running mate.

The self-described “hockey mom” soon garnered huge crowds and massive media attention.

After the election in 2009, she resigned as Alaska governor and has since forged a lucrative career as a writer and political commentator.

NEWS 5

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

Morning newspaper summaries KDF camp had 240 Shabaab raid; Uhuru Mystery of missing KDF Kenyatta’s family multisoldiers, half missing: summons KDF bosses: commander: The fate of the billion shilling dream There were 240 Kenya Defence Force (KDF) President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday Kenya Defence Forces commander who city takes off: The Kenyatta in El Adde camp at the time of the attack by summoned military generals to Mombasa was in charge of El Adde camp where tens al Shabaab last Friday, according to sources.

The base was led by one Major and four Captains and shared one compound with the Somalia National Army. About 63 KDF soldiers are feared dead and an unknown number are missing, some kidnapped and held hostage by the attackers. Military spokesman David Obonyo disputed that there were 240 KDF officers at the camp, but would not give the exact number.

as Kenya Defence Forces intensified counter-attacks against al-Shabaab who raided a KDF camp in Somalia on Friday.

The Army, Airforce and Navy commanders — led by Chief of Kenya Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe — flew to the Coast for the meeting with the President at State House, Mombasa. After the high-level security talks, the President addressed the nation in a televised address.

of soldiers were killed remains unknown, four days after the murderous Al Shabaab militia overran the Kenya Defence Force’s El Adde camp. The Standard has established that the commander (name withheld) is from the Eldoret-based 9th Kenya Rifles. He was on his second tour of duty, having served in southern Somalia before, according to military sources.

IEBC overturned the Supreme Court finding that would have led to his removal from the voter register for bribery. A special committee of the IEBC led by Thomas Letangule and commission vice chairman Lilian Mahiri-Zaja and Alawi Mohamed made a unanimous decision that there was no reason to remove Wetangula’s name from the Roll of Voters.

yesterday saved Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula’s political career after it refused to strike his name off the register of voters.

The decision means that Mr Wetang’ulawho is the leader of majority in the Senate and one of the top three leaders in the opposition coalition Cord-can now contest in the next year’s General Election. Mr Wetang’ula has already declared that he is interested in vying for the presidency.

interpret its mandate in the case against Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula.

Their opinion and independent research was behind the decision not to delete Mr Wetang’ula’s name from the voters’ register since he had not been convicted for any election malpractices. At the heart of the interpretation was that the Constitution is very clear on the fundamental right to vote, the right to be voted for.

National Youth Service (NYS) wants the court to remove his name from a case the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has filed seeking to recover the money from him and others. According to papers filed in the Milimani Courts in Nairobi, he also wants the court to order freezing properties that reportedly belong to him and seven others lifted because he is not the registered proprietor of the said properties.

how to come up a ten-year development plan. The mischief that the commission seek to secure is briefcase and unqualified consultants, bloated delegations at brainstorming workshops and delays in meeting deadlines. They also seek to ensure that counties have long-term visions of what they want to achieve. The master plan

family has taken a key step to realizing its long-held ambition of building a city on its vast land holdings outside Nairobi, with a formal application to authorities for an environmental audit of the project.

The family, which is among Kenya’s biggest landowners, want to build the mixed-use development on an 11, 000acre farm that is currently occupied by its giant diary processor Brookside.

Why IEBC did not wins deregister Wetang’ula: KQ sends finance boss IEBC clears Wetang’ula Wetang’ula of bribery allegations: political battle to remain It has emerged that the electoral agency home, retires fleet chief: Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula a voter: The electoral commission hired constitutional experts to help National carrier Kenya Airways on Tuesday sent home its long-serving finance director, yesterday got a political lifeline after the Alex Mbugua, in what was seen as part of a broader initiative to turn around the fortunes of the loss-making company.

Kenya Airways chairman Dennis Awori said Dick Murianki, who served as the general manager for the airline’s cargo business, had replaced Mr Mbugua in an acting capacity until a substantive finance director is recruited.

ODM names Baraka Trader fights assets New rules for county World Bank questions Mtengo for Malindi freeze in NYS case: growth master plan: The ERC’s price-setting Businessman Benson Gethi Wangui, a National Land Commission (NLC) has MP: There are mixed reactions over key suspect in the Sh791 million theft at issued new rules to guide counties on role: The World Bank Group has

the nomination of Willy Baraka Mtengo as Cord’s preferred candidate in the Malindi parliamentary by-election on March 7.

Many have described the choice as the best, saying Mtengo has the qualities to make a good MP. Mtengo, a businessman, formerly worked with the Kenya Ports Authority before he resigned and ventured into private business. He will battle it out with Philip Charo of the Jubilee Party.

is known as ‘The County Spatial Plan.

joined a growing chorus of voices questioning the efficiency of the government’s price-setting role in the oil segment as marketers retain the biggest chunk of gains from falling crude prices.

The bank’s lead economist for Kenya Apurva Sanghi said the price controls by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) have denied consumers the full benefits of low crude prices.

Top stories from X News global partners Sarah Palin Endorse Sarah Palin Endorses The first stages of a EU to shift refugee Donald Trump for Donald Trump, Which thaw between Iran burden to northern nomination: Sarah Palin Could Bolster Him in and the West: According to states: Brussels is to scrap rules endorsed Donald Trump for president secretary of state, John Kerry, that make the first country a refugee Iowa: Sarah Palin, the former America’s on Tuesday, becoming the first current or “Implementation Day” for the Iran enters responsible for any asylum claim, former statewide elected official in the US to back the real estate mogul for the White House. The former vice-presidential candidate announced her endorsement of the Republican frontrunner at a much ballyhooed event which took place inside a heated barn on the Iowa State University campus. Appearing on stage, Trump recited his poll numbers and gloried in his support among Republican voters for 25 minutes, before introducing “an incredible person, with an incredible husband and an incredible family”: Sarah Palin. www.theguardian.com

Alaska governor and 2008 vicepresidential nominee who became a Tea Party sensation and a favorite of grassroots conservatives, endorsed Donald Trump in Iowa on Tuesday, providing him with a potentially significant boost just 13 days before the state’s caucuses.

“Are you ready for the leader to make America great again?” Mrs. Palin said with Mr. Trump by her side at a rally at Iowa State University. “Are you ready to stump for Trump? I’m here to support the next president of the United States — Donald Trump.” www.nytimes.com

nuclear accord could be just “days away if all goes well”. He was not expecting two US Navy patrol boats and their crews to be seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards on January 12th after unintentionally entering Iranian waters near an island naval base. But with both sides determined to smooth things over, the boats and the sailors were released the following day. As long as there are no new shocks, the big day looks set to be announced in the next few days—sooner than was expected when the deal was struck last July. www.economist.com

revolutionising the bloc’s migration policy and shifting the burden from its southern flank to its wealthier northern members. The “first-country” requirement is the linchpin of the EU refugee system. But it has become politically toxic for EU leaders as Germany and other states criticise frontier countries such as Greece and Italy for failing to register and shelter the 1.1m people that have poured into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.

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BUSINESS

Make tea auction transparent, President Uhuru tells traders President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged tea auctioneers to ensure farmers get a return from the crop.

He asked the East African Tea Trade Association to provide incentives to encourage farmers to continue growing tea instead of converting their farms to real estate business.

“We are leaving in an environment where farmers are beginning to have options on what to do with their land. It would be a big mistake if we were to say that because of poor pricing, prime tea land is converted into apartments and shopping malls,” President Kenyatta said when he visited the Mombasa Tea Centre.

He added: “The only way we are going to stop that is by ensuring that even though it is a willing buyer willing seller market, we are conscious that a farmer out there has inputs and other bills to pay for.”

The President said it would not be helpful to traders or the country if farmers gave up growing the crop, saying tea is one of Kenya’s major foreign exchange earners.

The President disclosed that during his visits abroad, he has put a strong case for Kenya to expand the market for the crop. He pointed out that Nigeria and China have expressed key interest.

The Head of State called on the East African Tea Trade Association to speed up the automation of the Mombasa Tea Auction to ensure transparency and accountability for the benefit of the farmer.

“I think automating your system will go a long way to dispel some of the perceptions that this is a house of collusion. People believe that you just come here to showcase, but the real deals are done at night,” President Kenyatta said.

The President’s comments on automation were in response to the association’s

chairman, Mr Nicholas Munyi, who had said plans were at an advanced stage to automate the tea auction. Mr Munyi said the Mombasa Auction Centre was unique in Africa as it was dollar-dominated, making it convenient for the international market.

“The payment is made to tea producers within nine working days. It is the only multi-origin auction centre handling tea from 10 producer countries. This is a benefit

as it offers the buyer a variety of teas,” Mr Munyi said.

He said tea farming was brimming with optimism as the prices had peaked to $2.78 (Sh278) a kilo up from $1.8 (Sh180) in 2014.

To get better prices, Mr Munyi expressed the need for farmers to diversify tea products – orthodox and green tea – to tap into new markets such as Algeria. chai_x254

President Uhuru Kenyatta when he addressed East African Tea Trade Association in Mombasa yesterday.

Global CEOs express gloom over economic growth Chief executives from across the globe are more pessimistic about economic growth tin 2016 than this time last year, according to a new survey by research group, PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers).

Only 27 per cent of interviewees thought that economic growth would improve, against 37 per cent in 2015, stated the report, which was compiled by consultants from PwC. Business leaders are increasingly worried about geopolitical risks, as well as China’s economic slowdown and the falling oil price, the BBC reports.

The findings echo a similar report by the International Monetary Fund that downgraded global economic growth forecasts.

Recent statistics posted by market analysts PineBridge Investments East

Africa show that Kenya’s economic growth may not be as positive as was projected in 2015.

Kenya’s National Treasury also downgraded its forecasts for 2016 though PineBridge predicts a sliver of hope. The investment group estimates that inflation in Kenya will remain below 9 per cent, a boon for investors and consumers at large.

However, the global economy remains volatile and The Treasury twice revised growth forecasts for 2015/16 downwards, initially from 7 per cent to 6.5 per cent, then to 5.8 per cent, citing the impact of the tightening monetary policy.

“We expect to have a more stable interest rate environment in 2016,” Senior Investment Manager Edward Gitahi told a media briefing at the

Serena Hotel in Nairobi yesterday.

PineBridge, however, expects modest increases in inflation in the first half of 2016. The IMF said on Tuesday that it now predicts global economic activity to expand by 3.4 per cent this year, down from an estimate of 3.6 per cent in October. PwC’s survey, which was released ahead of the annual World Economic Forum, held at Davos, in the Swiss Alps, interviewed more than 1,400 chief executives across 83 countries.

“There’s no question that business leaders’ confidence in both the global economy and their own company growth prospects has taken a knock,” said Dennis Nally, global chairman of PwC. Kenya is making plans to start exporting its own reserves.

CBK EXCHANGE RATES 1 US DOLLAR 1 UK POUND 1 EURO 1 S.A RAND 1 KSH/USH 1 KSH/TSH

MEAN 102.3699 146.1069 111.3811 6.1254 33.8967 21.2954

BUY SELL 102.2722 102.4676 145.9417 146.2722 111.2572 111.5050 6.1185 7.1324 33.1856 33.9779 21.2262 21.3645

A million households in TV blackout, new report indicates Close to one million Kenyan households do not have the privilege of watching television nine months after the country switched to digital broadcast, a new survey conducted by research group Geopoll indicates. Only 71 per cent of Kenyan TV owners had bought set top boxes (STBs) by last month, translating into about 2.5 million as per the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) numbers, the survey shows.

The CA estimates that about 3.5 million Kenyan households own TV sets, indicating that about one million households are yet to buy the gadgets without which they cannot access any television broadcasts. Geopoll, a mobile phone based pollster, also showed that 29 per cent of the 1,000 respondents interviewed reported that they had not acquired the gadgets either because they are expensive, not available within their locality or they did not consider them priority.

“In December, 45 per cent of those who had not yet switched to digital signals indicated they had not made the switch because it was too expensive.

This percentage has declined since March, possibly due to increasingly affordable set top boxes,” read part of the surveys report.

According to the survey, 30 per cent of the households that own set top boxes opted for freeto-air broadcasts while 70 per cent chose pay TV broadcasters. Pay TV providers are selling multichannel decoders for between Sh1, 999 and Sh2, 500 while free-to-air set-top boxes cost between Sh3, 300 and Sh6, 500. Pay TV subscribers, however, have to pay monthly fees of between Sh499 and Sh10, 000.

GOTV was the most preferred set top box with 41 per cent of the respondents indicating ownership followed by Star Times with 24 per cent.

With regards to viewing habits, 45 per cent of set top box owners are only viewing their favourite channels while 55 per cent are exploring new channels on their gadgets.

As at November 2015, top TV stations in Kenya were Citizen TV, KTN and NTV which jointly command a market share of 73 per cent. wilson_x254

Netflix shares jump as customers numbers surge

Video-streaming company Netflix said its customer numbers surged more than expected over the last quarter, sending its USlisted shares up as much as 8 per cent in after-hours trading.

The firm said it added a record of 5.59 million customers in the three months to December, bringing total number to 74.76 million up from 69.17million. Netflix recently branched into the African market and is scheduled to disrupt the Kenyan TV sector. The service is currently available in over 60 countries and has roughly 70 million subscribers.

Earlier this month, the firm said it had expanded to 130 more countries. It is available on virtually any device that has an Internet connection, including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and game consoles Netflix said it was upbeat about the number of subscribers it expected to grow in the current quarter - forecasting growth of 6.10 million, up from 4.88 million the year earlier.

It further said, its global expansion plans would start by “primarily targeting outward‐looking, affluent consumers with international credit cards and smartphones.”

However, the streaming service, which gained global recognition for its programmes like House of Cards and Fargo, said it was still trying to expand into China.

Social media key booster of tourism and travel industry Social media has been fronted as the greatest marketing tool of modern times. In 2014, millions of Africans were using Facebook, 4.5 million of them were Kenyans. This number jumped to 120 million in 2015. In an era of mobile devices, access to the Internet is basically anytime and anywhere. According to Jovago, a global leader in the hospitality and hotel booking sector, it is not a big surprise then, that over 80 per cent of social media users, access them on their mobile devices.

“The travel and tourism industry runs on factors that go far beyond posting beautiful content only. Firstly, it means building your credibility and presenting yourself as a professional as a businessman or a business woman,” explains a report from the hospitality giant. Jovago has stated that this factor often plays a major role in customer acquisition.

“On top of that, it also means customer service.

Happy customers will return and recommend you to his/her friends and family. It is not

difficult to realize that multiple channels would be needed to make the most of these purposes,” adds the report. “Although Facebook has been recognized as one of the top social media channels, we should not forget about other, equally significant ones. Especially in a travel and hospitality industry, visual content plays a major role.”

Marketing strategies, too, play a big role in social media marketing.

Making a list of all areas you need to cover is essential. Thinking about customer acquisition, helpdesk, business relations with partners, and simple boosting of brand awareness.

Researching on where majority of customers come from and whether they aredomestic travelers, coming from Kenya and other parts of East Africa, or international travelers from Europe or the Americas is one way of deciding which social media channels to enter,” states the report.

LinkedIn has been cited a one of the most

suitable platforms for maintaining business relations, though Jovago notes that Twitter or WhatsApp might work better for customer service. The group indicates that Instagram would be suitable to share hotel interiors or snapshots from the last safari that a hospitality chain organised.

Pinterest, on the other hand, may work for attracting customers from across the oceans, but won’t work equally well for attracting domestic travelers as it is not so popular in East Africa.

The group’s research reveals that the newest trends are social media channels based on videos. Snapchat and Vine have been cited as valuable tools that enable users to record shorter and longer videos and share them with their target audience in real time.

“Both of them give a perfect opportunity for showing something more interactive than photos,” adds the group.

Kevin_x254

BUSINESS 7 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

BIZ BRIEFS KQ makes board changes amid restructuring

The Board of Kenya Airways had announced the appointment of new Board members amidst the flyer’s ongoing restructuring drive.

The group has appointed Dick Murianki as the Acting Group Finance Director replacing Alex Mbugua with immediate effect.

Making the announcement, the Chairman of the Board Amb Dennis Awori said that the position will be substantively filled through a competitive interview process to be undertaken in due course. Murianki is currently the General Manager of KQ Cargo. He been in the airline industry for over 12 years and has served in various roles in Kenya Airways including as a Finance Manager, Commercial Business Performance Manager and Head of Financial Control.

Prior to joining Kenya Airways, he worked with Ernst and Young Public Accountants for over 8years in accountancy and business consultancy roles.

Somalia needs Sh90b as refugees flock make way

New seed varieties not reaching Africa’s small farmers, new study now shows Africa’s small scale farmers do not have access to improved seed varieties that have a higher yield and that are able to cope with climate change, new research has confirmed.

The study, published in the journal ‘Food Security’, has revealed that a majority of small scale farmers across the continent buy seeds from local markets and therefore produce a lower-than-expected harvest.

Innovations in food science, including seeds that produce vitamin-rich food and crops that can withstand the hotter, drier conditions due to global warming, are not reaching many of Africa’s small farmers as they are not available in local markets,

researchers said.

The research examined 10,000 seed transactions across five African countries and Haiti, and researchers said it shed light on how food production can be expanded.

“Science is making improvements to crops, but they are not getting to farmers,” Louise Sperling, senior technical adviser to Catholic Relief Services who worked on the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Products farmers might want to choose including varieties that are better resistant to climate change which arenot accessible.”

Initially, most researchers assumed that small farmers

relied on saving seeds from previous harvests, rather than purchasing new seeds.

However, the study showed that about 55 percent of small farmers in Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti bought their seeds from local markets, family or friends.

“The good news here is that small farmers are active customers,” Sperling said.

This means many growers would be open to buying better, climate-smart seeds, if they were readily available in small, rural markets and appropriately marketed, she said.

Adding that large seed dealers generally focus on selling large

volumes to institutional clients, such as big aid agencies or the United Nations, rather than small farmers.

She urged seed companies to offer smaller seed packages to farmers and inform them on the new seeds for them to benefit.

According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), small farmers who work on less than two hectares of land are Africa’s leading food producers accounting for up to 80 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s food.

FAO added that if companies ensure that these people have access to the right seeds then it could be a major step to fight hunger.

Somalia will need roughly Sh90 billion in aid as refugees flock in from Kenya and Yemen.

The country expects to see hunger and malnutrition numbers fall in this year despite flooding and drought caused by El Nino and thousands of new arrivals from Yemen and Kenya, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

However, Reuters reports that one in two people still need aid in the war-torn nation.

More than 300,000 children under five are acutely malnourished. As many as 56,000 of these children face death if not treated. Peter de Clerq, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, who is appealing for $885 million (Sh90.6 billion) in aid, said agencies aimed to reduce the number of people requiring food aid to 3.2 million from 4.9 million and cut malnutrition rates.

Somalia has been mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991.

East African states criticized for not supporting farmers

East African governments have received renewed criticism for not supporting their countries’ local farmers. The African Union and the Africa Development Agency have called on governments to invest in their small-scale producers or risk making the same mistakes that have left millions of people in poverty.

According to a study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, smallholder farmers contribute up to 80 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s food supply.

Africa has an estimated 33 million smallholder farms.

New data indicates that increasing their capabilities will increase the continent’s output. Government and private sector support ould also play a major role in resolving Africa’s poverty and malnutrition problems.

8

BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

Liquid Telecom fast internet speed in Garissa UK-based technology firm Liquid Telecom has completed a 21-kilometre fibre optic ring in Garissa, making it the 39th county headquarters to be linked to the firm’s high speed Internet network.

Liquid Telecom joins other firms such as Safaricom and Jamii Telecom that have invested heavily in fibre optic in the counties.

Liquid Telecom CEO Ben Roberts said that they are targeting the county government, higher learning institutions and commercial banks with the infrastructure.

“Until now, the county didn’t have a fibre network connecting businesses in the town. But providing high speed connections to Garissa’s businesses is in line with our vision of generating economic growth across the country through more comprehensive infrastructure,” said Roberts.

He said the value of the Liquid Telecom infrastructure goes beyond the better speeds maintaining that all their systems are built with automatic back up to prevent service interruptions.

The network includes a second metro ring to ensure continuous service in the event of any cable cuts and has been built onwards from the company’s long-distance fibre connection running from Thika to Dabaab.

Davis & Shirtliff creates Kenya’s first water play park at city mall Davis and Shirtliff, the leading supplier of water-related equipment in the East African region, has unveiled Kenya’s first ever interactive water play park at the Garden City Mall.

Interactive water parks remain a relatively new phenomenon globally, but are being installed rapidly in

many parks and recreational areas across the world, most notably in the US, Israel, South Korea, the UK, and in France.

Garden City’s installation comes amidst the growth and expansion of Kenya’s middleclass, a category of consumers that spends large chunks of their income on luxury items and

leisure activities, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

Davis and Shirtliff has said that the Garden City play park represents the next level in children’s entertainment and was built along the same lines as the interactive water zone in Washington Park in the US, and the Diana Princess of

wilson_x254

Renault to modify 15,000 new cars in emission scare French car maker Renault, which has been under the spotlight over high levels of harmful emissions, is recalling 15,000 new cars, the BBC reports.

The move comes after tests showed that emission levels from some of its vehicles were too high.

The searches led to billions of euros being wiped off its market value, after fears that it could be another scandal similar to that at Volkswagen.

Renault has promised that it will come up with a ‘technical plan’ to bring down the level of emissions from its vehicles.

French Energy Minister Segolene Royal said Renault was not the only car company in France to break the rules on carbon dioxide and nitrogen emissions though she didn’t mention the others involved.

She said the tests needed to be based on real driving conditions and not those of special testing facilities.

It has been suggested that the emission readings are much lower in laboratory-style conditions.

“Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them,” Ms Royal said.

Kenya’s first ever interactive water play park at the Garden City Mall in Nairobi.

Wales Memorial Play ground in Central London.

“The combination of slides, rides, and dancing fountains is a recent phenomena that has been developed at, so far, few more than 20 children’s playgrounds worldwide, but has been shown to be a source of huge entertainment and children’s delight,” said Alec Davis, CEO of Davis & Shirtliff.

“We are really proud to have now installed the first such play park in Kenya, to a design that interweaves the water features with the play equipment as a next level in developing this concept,” he added.

The new fountain water play park is part of a three acre site at the Garden City Mall with play areas for children.

According to Davis & Shirtliff, one of the biggest challenges faced while working on the project was providing adequate drainage to cope with the sheer volume of water being pumped through the fountains and features. Despite this however, according to Mentor Management Limited Asst. Project Manager Mr. Kevin Ogutu, “The fountain water park has recently been successfully tested and commissioned and is open to use with no entrance fee charge”.

“The water park will also aid the project in acquiring credits towards achieving the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices globally.”

Dennis_x254

Microsoft pledges Sh102b of cloud computing resources to firms working for ‘public good’ Computing giant Microsoft has pledged to provide Sh 102 billion worth of cloud computing resources to organisations it deems to be working for the “public good”.

Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.

Microsoft’s resources will be shared out over the next three years to about 70,000 non-profits and 900 university research projects.

In simplest terms, cloud computing is the term given to storing data on the internet, rather than on a local computer.

As well as making data more easily accessible, the added promise for non-profits is that the resources will

provide vast amounts of computing power that would ordinarily be out of reach for all but the biggest businesses.

“As Satya Nadella announced today, we’re committed to putting the Microsoft Cloud to work for the public good. That’s why Microsoft Philanthropies, with support from Microsoft Research and Microsoft Business Development, will donate Sh 102 billion in Microsoft cloud services to non-profits and university researchers over the next three years,’’ Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith said in a statement released yesterday. ‘’Our goal is to support 70,000 non-profits through this initiative during that time. I wanted to provide some more detail on what

we’re doing and the commitments we are making today. Our rationale for today’s announcement is simple,” Smith added.

“Cloud computing has emerged as a vital resource for addressing the world’s problems. Cloud services can unlock the secrets held by data in ways that create new insights and lead to breakthroughs, not just for science and technology, but for addressing the full range of economic and social challenges and the delivery of better human services. They can also improve communications and problemsolving and can help organizations work in a more productive and efficient manner,” he said.

Other companies, particularly Facebook, have pursued similar goals.

Facebook’s Internet.org project is investing in connectivity technologies such as drones to fill that last mile, helping what founder Mark Zuckerberg refers to as the “next billion” people to access the web.

However, initiatives such as this aren’t always so well received.

Facebook’s Free Basics scheme, in which certain mobile sites were accessible for free, has caused uproar in India, where local businesses say Facebook is giving itself an unfair advantage over local competitors.

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has gained considerable applause for his continually expressed desire to use Microsoft’s immense size and wealth in developing countries, including his native India.

Kevin_x254

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

ACCESS top story

FASHION SCOOP

11

The lasT non-whiTe acTors To be nominaTed were chiweTel ejiofor and lupiTa nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o

Will and Pinkett Smith

Boone Isaacs

Spike Lee

The Oscars P

racIaL WoeS

assionate anger, despair and loathing is spreading across Hollywood after the coveted Academy Awards better known as “The Oscars,” nomination list was released.

The list had only white actors nominated and Hollywood is now crying foul.

The awards slated for the 28th of February have ignored minorities and non-whites for the second time in a row.

The last non-white actors to be nominated were Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave and Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips in 2013.

The Oscars which honor cinematic achievement seem to be not so honorable given that black actors have threatened to boycott the gala event.

Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith posted separate messages saying they would not be attending.

“We cannot support it (the Oscars), I mean no disrespect ... But, how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches,” Lee wrote on Instagram.

In a video posted to Facebook, Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s wife, said she would not even watch the Oscars on TV this year.

Her husband, Will Smith, had been considered

an Oscar contender for his role in “Concussion” but was not nominated.

Meanwhile, the president of the Academy, Boone Isaacs – the first African American to hold the role of president- expressed frustrations saying, “While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion” Other Oscar hopefuls, including “Beasts of No Nation’s” Idris Elba; “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan, that movie’s writerdirector, Ryan Coogler and the cast of N.W.A biopic “Straight Outta Compton” were also overlooked.

While calls to have the nominations list a bit more inclusive, the Awards are claiming that, it’s not their fault.

The Academies are saying that, white people get to play great roles, and that concerns should be raised with those who cast actors in the roles they play period!

Nonetheless, critics are noting that there have been cries that the academies membership is filled with white, old men who have lost touch with today’s movie goer.

The critics are saying, “Older, white, male voter ship doesn’t hate women, gays, and black people. They’re just not as interested in their/our stories.”

However, there is hope after the president of the Awards, Boone Isaacs promised “The academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.

And there is hope in the coming days and weeks for a review in order to bring about much-needed diversity. @duncan_x254

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THE DESIGN AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MAGAZINE OF THE FUTURE

10

ACCESS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

HEALTH &FITNESS

AvocAdos contAin heAlthy oils And this is why it is A common ingredient in mAny beAuty products

foods to combat dry skin Skin is an outward representation of what is going on inside our bodies. In short healthy skin, healthy body. Here are some foods that will help tackle that dry skin issue.

Coconut oil Coconut oil has turned into a kind of cure-all for all hair and scalp disorders but it is also an effective ingredient in providing relief to skin. It penetrates the skin easily and locks in moisture preventing it from leaving through

Low-impact, high energy workouts

oint, bone and muscle problems are a fairly common grievance.

In older people it tends towards osteoarthritis while in younger people the cause is usually due to injury. During this time working out might not be a priority but there are some low-impact exercises that will still help you burn calories without aggravating the pain.

Walking

Sometimes the best solution is the easiest and walking just happens to be the most accessible form of exercise. Walks can be included in many ways and at various times of the day such as walking to and from work, walk to lunch and even do some light pacing while on the phone. Spice things up by adding dumbbells if you are outside and work out those arms too.

Swimming

Swimming is a great way to keep your body lean and in shape as it targets many muscle groups. The water provides buoyancy and helps take the pressure off joints and bones which goes a long way in helping to relieve pain.

Dancing

Olive oil. Olive oil protects the skin from harmful UV rays and it is an antiinflammatory which soothes itchiness and eczema. It is a common additive in vegetable salads and it can be used in light frying of food.

Water Our bodies are 75% water and it’s the primary source of moisture in anything that we do. So drink up.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

WORKOUT

J

skin pores. Coconut oil can be used in cooking or just to provide additional flavour to food.

Avocado Avocados contain healthy oils and this is why it is a common ingredient in many beauty products. In addition to this the Vitamin E in contained in the fruit protects the skin from cell damage and encourages healthy skin growth. Eat it in a salad, spread it on whole wheat bread or enjoy it as a snack.

Olive Oil Another Vitamin E-laden food ingredient is

Believe it or not dancing is a fun and effective way of keeping in shape. Just 20-30 minutes a day can help improve co-ordination, improve our moods and strengthen our bones. There’s no need to get out the break dancing track-suit just yet, some light dancing is enough to get our levels up.

Picture PLacement & Positioning in the home Many times we decide to invest in a piece of art and let it sit around in some corner of the house gathering dust because we have no idea where to put it. Although empty walls can make a statement of their own, art helps tie a room together and provides a focal point to the room.

Since most of the activities in a living room take place while sitting down, art in this room should be placed at eye - level. This tends to be four or five inches above the couch. The biggest piece of art should be centrally placed and all other pieces going on the same wall positioned around it. A good way to know whether or not the arrangement will please the eye on

spaces?

the wall is to lay the pieces on the floor first and assess the design.

Grid layouts provide an attractive façade and give the impression of occupation on an otherwise empty wall. The pictures should be of a similar theme including having the same shape and colour of frame for a smart finish.

An asymmetrical arrangement is probably the most convenient and most common picture set up. Pieces that are of different shapes and sizes can be displayed in a manner that gives the wall balance and broadness especially if they are a large number of varied pictures. Picture lights add drama and highlight special pieces in the home. They are especially

effective for big pieces that require no frames and viewed as centre pieces. Picture lights give the home an art gallery feel while boosting the value of the house.

reusabLe caLendar Did you know you can craft a better, brighter, beautiful calendar on your own just from items found around the house?

The first thing that is required is an old picture frame. Ensure the frame is large enough because it will house and protect the individual calendar entries and the glass is what makes the calendar re-useable.

Colour swatches that are supposed to represent the dates can easily be made by hand. Just get some manila papers in a variety of colours and use a ruler to cut

out equal sized shapes. They could be any shape that is appropriate, squares, rectangles even circles. At least 35 of these are required to make the entries neat and ensure that all of the days of the month are covered, placing them in a seven by five arrangement. Glue these to the inside of the frame and cover as you would a picture. A dry erase marker is needed to indicate the dates; that is, from Monday to Sunday and write down the number of the dates on top of the glass above the colour

swatches. You can erase the order of the dates as and change the months as the days go by, mark important dates and get organised with this easy DIY calendar.

ACCESS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY OCTOBER 20, 28, 2016 2015

FASHIONScoop

@MAyBelline runwAy SHow

Ann Sophie Briest: Looking a little overdressed.

Anna Hilltrop: Blue blonde.

Sila Sahin: All things on fleek.

11

rebecca Mir: Color and pattern blocking.

Ann Broemell: Her shoes were her best accessories.

ColoUr M

aybelline is one of the few makeup manufacturers that have managed to capture an enviable market base for their wide variety of make up products by providing both quality and global access.

This is probably why the Maybelline runway show at the ongoing Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, themed ‘the power of color’ was packed to full capacity with a significant number of celebrities taking the front row seats. See how they stepped up in color on the red carpet. @mercy_x254

Sophie Herman: Skater Girl.

Willy Paul is behaving badly, again!

Controversial gospel artistes Willy Paul is still trending but for all the wrong reasons. A majority of Kenyans on twitter seem to have had enough of Willy who has proved to be quite excellent in stirring a hornet’s nest. Among controversies irking the twitterati include how Willy has managed to reignite his beef with Bahati, he has gone ahead to start a war with Justin Beiber, and now he is not relenting on releasing a collabo with Sauti Sol.

Class

HOT

Ugandan socialite’s 7 million butt lift

TOPICS

Gospel blogs for BaKE 2016

willy paul

The Best Religious or Spirituality blog category was unveiled yesterday during the launch of BAKE 2016. This will see those who dwell on matters of faith included and recognized with other bloggers.

julia

Forget Vera Sidika’s fake silicon, ugandan socialite Julia Kawalia underwent a butt lift worth a whopping Sh 7 Million. Julia underwent the famed Brazilian butt lift and her wish was to have it excellently done to replicate nicki Minaj. Julia is mostly remembered for causing a bitter break up between Farouk Ssempala and Zari Hassan.

Why is a Kenya Tourism Gala Dinner sponsored

by Ethiopians?

A gala dinner to promote Kenya is allegedly sponsored by Ethiopians.

The gala which will be headlined by Onyi Papa Jey, has Ethiopian Airlines as part of the sponsors. The dinner is scheduled to take place in Frankfrut, Germany. Questions being asked is how Kenya Airways lacked the wings to sponsor the same?

CLASSIFIED

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

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WEATHERFORECAST

DAILYHOROSCOPES CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan19 There’s no need to go pounding your head against a wall, Capricorn, your day will be challenging, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. The planetary configurations today will push you to lay the foundation for the projects you’ve been planning over the last six months. Go with the flow.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18 Everything you touch turns to gold, yet you may be under the impression that you can’t provide everything you need for yourself. So what do you do? You start buying everything in sight! Today you might want to think about this bad little habit of yours, Aquarius.

WEDNESday 20/1/2016

sunny

22

23ºC 75%

THURsday 21/1/2016

More sun than clouds

23 6:38 am 6:49pm

24ºC 70%

PISCES Feb 19 - Mar 20 Today the people around you could seem much more serious than usual, Pisces. You could even decide to get away from them and go hide out just for the day, for example, in a movie theater watching an afternoon film. But you won’t find the movie you want to see.

6:38 am 6:49 pm

FRIday

24

Fill in the blanks with the numbers 1-9. every row, column and 3x3 box must contain all nine digits with no repeated number.

Yesterday’s Solution

Sudoku

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 19 The time has come to deal with some of the important questions you may have been avoiding for quite some time. It could be especially important to take a look at your life at home and see what you can do change the negative atmosphere that has come into your life over the past few weeks.

TAURUS Apr 20 - May 20 If this is true, Taurus, people have probably already told you that thinking is fine, but there is a moment when you have to put all that thinking into practice! The position of the planets today invites you to think about this.

GEMINI May 21 - Jun 21 You may be ready to make the changes you and your partner have been considering for quite some time. Moving in together, doing some construction on your house, buying a summer home, or perhaps even having a child - start making those plans that symbolize the stability of your relationship.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 21 It may seem that anything anyone says gets on your nerves. Even the sweet nothings that your sweetheart whispers in your ear seem like a bunch of hot air! But you will be forgiven for your irritability, and besides, not every day can be as passionate and loving as you’d like it to be.

LEO Jul 23- Aug 22 But you love to work, and you will get all the work you can handle today. It’s a good day to work on all those things in your life that still need a little attention in order to stand on their own, the things that haven’t quite found a permanent place in your life, like some of your relationships, for example.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 21 It may often be hard for you to make decisions in delicate situations for fear of being misjudged, even if you know you must. You may run into this dilemma as you go about your day today. Trust your own good judgment.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22 Yet today you may need to be a bit more rational. In your personal life, you may feel as if you’ve been beaten at your own game and this has weakened you. Why not take advantage of this to bring your partner with you on one of your voyages inside yourself?

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21 Is it possible you’ve decided to change certain things about yourself and your behavior? If you could just devote a few minutes a day to all the little details in your personality, the changes will go much more smoothly. The atmosphere today may help you think about this.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 The great thing is that you probably didn’t even notice! But if you aren’t careful, there may be some bullheaded person around you today who may try and destroy all the progress you’ve made. Don’t confuse controlling your emotions with repressing them.

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13

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

CROSSWORD Across 1. Armand of “American Gangster” 8. Fermented apple juice 13. Focus of a pedicure 14. Minnesota’s state fish 16. “___ calls” (request to a secretary) 17. Sent via cyberspace 18. Little ones, in Lille 19. Take _____ 20. German negative 21. Thai isthmus 22. Navy enlistee (abbr.)

23. Aides (abbr.)

25. Wyo. neighbor 27. NYC clock setting 28. Film about Polish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman 31. The shakes (abbr.)

32. Talk-show host Hall 33. Pres. advisory grp.

36. Extenuation 40. “I get it now!”

41. Opposite of avec 42. Witch’s home, in the Bible 44. Sung syllable 45. “The Once and Future King” author’s monogram

46. Show of hands 47. Certificate of merit 49. Varied 52. Pill-bottle phrase, maybe 53. Inauspicious 54. Mandela and others 55. Meadow 56. Curves 57. Collects Down 1. Wise Olympian 2. Earliest date 3. Egocentric 4. Moderately slow, in music 5. Tandoori bread 6. Joust 7. Bracket shapes 8. Barton who founded the American Red Cross 9. Tennis’ Nastase 10. Postponed 11. DMV requirement 12. Frankfurters, informally 14. Milksops 15. Olympian repast 24. Cybertrash 25. Certain island dwellers 26. 1997 Aaliyah hit “____ a

Million” 29. Dublin native 30. Shopping bag 33. Socially improper 34. Places to pray 35. Vow-exchanging sites 37. Creates 38. Fragrant or stinky 39. On the fence 43. Big name in peanut butter cups 45. Hubbubs 48. Perform eye surgery, perhaps 49. L-____ (drug used in Parkinson’s treatment) 50. Mosque figure 51. Payment option

Yesterday’s answers

YOURSAY What women want in their would-be husbands Carry your wife to the bed when she dozes off in the sitting room, make her feel like a baby The truth is, every woman wants to be treated like a two-year-old girl. You may have an argument with your wife and the next thing is that you will see her putting her bags outside the house, it doesn’t mean she is asking for a divorce, she simply wants you to hold her, look her in the eyes and say “I am sorry for the argument”.

Every brother needs to study in the “University of Women” before getting married, read books about them, learn what the Bible says about them and you will hardly have a problem with them.

Challenges will always be there because you are both from different backgrounds and your imperfections are bound to stand, but men

should be ready to learn one or two things on marriage, an ideal home, child upbringing and importance of marriage.

Don’t just jump into marriage with an empty head, you will have problems or jump out disappointed.

How many men can tolerate their wives nagging let alone shouting? It’s said that, you should be quiet when your spouse is angry, when one person is fire, the other person should be water. Brothers, when your wife steps on your feet intentionally or mistakenly, don’t let your eyes turn red, just smile at her, if she did it intentionally, she is just playing with you, if she did it mistakenly, it’s not her fault. So why shout at her over every small mistake? As a man learn to ignore some things, don’t be petty.

Some men are feminist; Do “hide and seek” with your

wife, sing poems for your wife in the garden or inside the house, even if she is teasing you.

Assist her in the house chores, pound yam, fetch water, and don’t make her look like your maid.

Bathe together, wake her up for prayers, swim with her if it’s available, cook together, and teach her how to cook if she doesn’t know how to.

Cooking is not the ticket to Paradise. It’s not only a feminine duty.

Use blind folds to cover her eyes and tickle her, scare her at times, call her from work/ school, text her, write “I love you” in a small note and put it under her pillow or in her purse or in her bathroom or in her cosmetics box or inside her cupboard. Kiss her always, cuddle her, pamper her and play with her hair.

— Via mail

State must strengthen intelligence to curb attacks The government should work towards strengthening the National Intelligence Service (NIS) as its power bank on the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities.

Our NIS, though one of the heftily funded department in the current financial year, it has not worked fully to ascertain the multi-billion funding.

Major terror activities that have hit our country have been blamed on intelligence lapses. In most instances, the intelligence report was not vivid to be worked upon. Other than terrorism, criminal activities such as bank frauds have been on the rise. President Uhuru Kenyatta

has on several occasions been jeered by chaotic audiences, incidences that did not occur to his predecessors. Such unceremonious habits could have only occurred due to lack of proper groundwork before the visit. It’s a big shame and self-defeating to note that KDF soldiers lost their lives as a result of intelligence lapses.

When a department fails, it’s either blamed on the management or the ghost of corruption.

In my view, both vices are eating up our intelligence forces. New strategies and further training should be crafted to aid the ailing department for it to work as expected.

— Nderitu, Ummoa

ODM botched polls speaks volume about Raila Opposition chief Raila Odinga is an astute politician who has won admiration across the country with his anti-graft crusade. Even his opponents will tell you Raila is an opposition leader worth its salt. But one waterloo for the son of Jaramogi is political party management no wonder this man has been party hopping since he joined politics. Raila won the first parliamentary seat on a Ford Kenya ticket before forming his National Development Party (NDP) which he used to recapture his seat during a by-election after decamping from Ford Kenya. Raila contested the presidency in the 1997 General Election, but later formed a merger with Kanu in 2001 only to decamp to the Rainbow Alliance and then to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and now to

ODM. If the chaos witnessed in the Orange party during nominations are anything to go by, it indeed confirms my worst fear that Raila is a politician who does not believe in political parties. Raila’s ODM is the singlemost largest party in the country, but also ranks the worst managed party in the nation.

The recent chaotic party official election witnessed in Migori and Homa Bay and the latest being the botched party nomination in Malindi speak volume about Raila. Is Raila poor in management? Or he is a double-faced politician who does not walk the talk. If the party fails once, it is understandable, but failing all the time is now by design.

— Bukende Stephen, South C

Social media ‘fear messages’ ill-intended Welcome to Africa where typing Amen to Pastor’s prayers on Facebook will save you from your village witches and make you a billionaire.

Welcome’s to Africa where Jesus Christ sends you a WhatsApp message and threatens to kill you if you do not send it to 20 people.

The most annoying thing is that graduates and supposed learned people send these ‘miracle messages’ to their friend’s every day. These messages carry lots of threats; some of the messages say you will suffer or go broke for a week if you don’t send them.

As Christians, we need to keep an open mind and be

discerning and also open our hearts and minds to healthy discussions. We need to think.

Do you believe God will punish you if you refuse to send those messages? Do you think your destiny is tied to a message on social media?

Do you genuinely believe you will receive instant miracles after you type ‘’Amen’’ on that post?

We claim to be children of God, but we are scared of the future, scared of little things. You relay a message to 20 people on social media and believe in your heart that you will wake up tomorrow a billionaire?

Send your letters to news@254.co| Letters will be edited for summary and clarity

What is wrong with us?

Like seriously, what is really wrong with us?

Without prayers, hardwork, determination & purpose, ‘’miracle messages’’ on social media are not invisible hands that can instantly make us rich.

Stop spreading your fears on social media because we are not gullible.

Our God is too big to send threats to make people obey Him. Our God will never do that. We need messages that will transform souls and not messages that will threaten people to create unnecessary fear and panic.

— Mageka, Kamkunji

14

SPORT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

SPORTS BRIEFS Wilfried Bony denies rumours about Manchester City exit

Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony has dismissed rumours he wants to leave Manchester City.

The 27-year-old questioned manager Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to drop him in December, and has since been linked with a return to Swansea. “I’m happy at the club, all this speculation is not true,” he said.

“I have a contract so I’m happy and I think I’m at one of the top clubs in the United Kingdom.” Bony joined City for £28m on a four-and-a-half-year deal in January 2015. He has scored eight goals in 23 games for the club this season, but has been used as a substitute since leading striker Sergio Aguero returned from injury in December. Bony added: “I have no regrets about joining Man City.

We play in the Champions League and we’re one of the top clubs in the world.

I’m happy here and I can just say I’m blessed.”

Eliud Kipchoge to defend London marathon crown Reigning champion Eliud Kipchoge will once again face current and former world marathon record holders Dennis Kimetto and Wilson Kipsang in the 2016 Virgin London Marathon set for April 24, 2015.

Kipchoge, 31, stunned two-time winner Kipsang who came second last year and Kimetto who settled for third place last year and it is that form that he will seek to replicate when he faces the two rivals who boast of the fastest times in the history of the marathon.

This year’s race will feature world’s greatest marathon runners with an incredible five sub2:05 lining up.

Kipchoge won the race in 2:04:42, beating Kipsang by five seconds and narrowly missing his course record by 13 seconds. He went on to win the 2015 Berlin Marathon in a 2:04:00 PB, putting him sixth on the all-time

list behind Kimetto’s 2:02:57 and Kipsang’s 2:03:23.

In the women’s race, two-time winner Mary Keitany will try to win back the title from Ethiopian Tigist Tufa who beat her by a mere second last year.

Tigist became the second Ethiopian ever to claim the women’s title in a nail-biting sprint finish in the final three miles of last year’s race, But with no less than nine women in the elite field boasting sub 2:22 PBs and five of those under 2:20, it’s set to be one of the exiting races to watch.

The fourth fastest female marathoner in history with a 2:18:37 PB, Keitany will be Tufa’s biggest rival on the day. However, with reigning world marathon champion Mare Dibaba also making her London debut, competition is set to be even fiercer.

The rave will also have 2015 Berlin Marathon champion Gladys Cherono lining up in yet another debut at London Virgin marathon Last year’s Chicago Marathon winner and world half-marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat is set to return for a stab at the top spot.

The five-strong Kenyan challenge is completed

by Priscah Jeptoo, the Olympic bronze medallist who won the London marathon three years ago and Jemima Sumgong, a former Rotterdam Marathon champion who came sixth in 2015, one place ahead of Jeptoo.

London 2010 champion and three-time winner of the Dubai Marathon Aselefech Mergia is also in contention for this year’s title.

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale sidelined by injury Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has suffered his third calf muscle injury of the season. Bale, 26, limped off shortly before half-time during Real’s 5-1 La Liga win at home to Sporting Gijon on Sunday. The Wales international, who has scored 13 goals in Spain this season, is reportedly set to be out for three weeks.

“He has been diagnosed with a soleus (calf) muscle injury in his right leg,” Real said on their website. “His recovery will continue to be assessed.” Reports in Spain suggest Real are hoping to have Bale back for the last-16 Champions League tie against Roma on 17 February. Bale has missed eight games over two separate spells this season because of calf injuries.

SA’s Thami Tsolekile under investigation for match fixing Former South Africa Test wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile faces five year ban for match fixing allegation. He is under investigation in the Twenty20 corruption scandal that has rocked South African cricket where he is alleged to have pocketed Sh310, 000 to influence last year’s Ram Slam competition according to reports on The Guardian.

Tsolekile last played his three Tests for South Africa 12 years ago but has been in their squad as recently as March 2014.

Tsolekile captained the Highveld Lions in the tournament and, according to Cricket South Africa’s anti-corruption.

Players can also be criminally charged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which contains a clause for sporting events. The law was passed in 2004, four years after the former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje received a life ban from cricket for match-fixing.

Selectes elite runners for Virgin Money London Marathon 2016 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) Dennis Kimetto (KEN) Wilson Kipsang (KEN) Endeshaw Negesse (ETH) Stanley Biwott (KEN) Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) Tilahun Regassa (ETH) Abera Kuma (ETH) Samuel Tsegay (ERI) Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI)

2:04:00 2:02:57 2:03:23 2:04:52 2:04:55 2:05:04 2:05:27 2:05:56 2:07:28 2:07:47

Women Tigist Tufa (ETH) Mary Keitany (KEN) Gladys Cherono (KEN) Aselefech Mergia ETH) Florence Kiplagat (KEN) Mare Dibaba (ETH) Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) Feyse Tadese (ETH) Jemima Sumgong (KEN)

2:21:52 2:18:37 2:19:25 2:19:31 2:19:44 2:19:52 2:20:14 2:20:27 2:20:48

London Marathon title holder Eliud Kipchoge. He is set to defend the title in April.

Serena, Federer power through Serena Williams and Roger Federer made swift progress as the leading names were untroubled in the third day session of the Australian Open.

Women’s top seed Williams beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena before men’s second seed Federer saw off Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 7-5 6-1.

“Conditions are extremely quick, so you’re not going to find much rhythm,” he said. “I thought I served great.”

Maria Sharapova beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-1.

Novak Djokovic plays Quentin Halys in Wednesday’s late session,

while British number ones Andy Murray and Jo Konta resume their campaigns in the second round on Thursday.

Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori was another early winner on day three as he beat American Austin Krajicek 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, and Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych beat Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Mirza Basic 6-4 6-0 6-3.

Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko caused an upset with a 6-1 7-5 win over Russian 23rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, winner of the Sydney title last week.

World number 10 and seven-times

Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was given a US$5,000 fine for failing to appear at a news conference on Tuesday.

The American, 35, did not fulfil her post-match media commitments after losing in straight sets to Britain’s Jo Konta.

Williams was fined US$3,000 by the International Tennis Federation at last year’s French Open for skipping her media duties following a first-round defeat by Sloane Stephens.

Asked whether her elder sister would return to Melbourne in 2017, defending champion Serena Williams said: “I would

assume. She’s never mentioned anything about not being here, not competing.”

Konta might have had a day off from singles duties, but she found the time to make progress in the doubles as Britain’s women provided a Fed Cup boost.

The world number 47 teamed up with Heather Watson to beat 16th seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska 6-1 7-6 (9-7) in the first round.

Britain’s number one and two move on to face compatriots Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith, who defeated China’s Chen Lian and Shuai Peng 3-6 6-2 7-6 (7-2).

SPORT 15 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

Barcelona forward Neymar celebrates after scoring against Athletic Bilbao last Sunday at the Nou Camp. The player will have more on his shoulders tonight when the two teams clash again at San Mames in the Copa Del Rey quarter finals.

Neymar to lead Barca in Messi, Suarez absence Focus will today turn to Neymar who is expected to lead Barcelona’s attack line when the Blaugrana travel to San Mames for a Copa Del Rey clash with hosts Athletic Bilbao tonight.

While Barca will be without the services of the dynamic duo of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Athletic will welcome back into their fold star forward Aritz Aduriz.

It will be the fifth time the two teams are meeting this season with Barcelona having beaten their hosts 6-0 only three days ago in a La Liga fixture at the Nou Camp.

But Luis Enrique will be well aware of the threat posed by their rivals who are touted as the best Spanish side in bouncing straight back after a severe humiliation like was witnessed on Sunday.

There supporters are not used to losing in such a devastating fashion and will definitely expect an instant reaction from their team -- with the Copa del Rey, which they have lifted an impressive 23 times, being the perfect scenario to do so.

Athletic are the only club alongside

Barcelona and Real Madrid to have played every Primera Division season since the competition started in 1928, a fact which clearly exemplifies their club’s continued success, ultra-competitive attitude and undeterred winning spirit, Something that should inspire the Barca camp to better be ready for a titanic, physical battle at the San Mames.

Already, Enrique has ordered his players to forget their 6-0 rout of their rivals last weekend.

The team will also miss left back Jordi Alba who is out injured.

Aston Villa set date with Man City in FA Aston Villa edged past League Two Wycombe to book a fourth-round FA Cup tie at home against fellow Premier League side Manchester City.

Wycombe went close when Garry Thompson headed over after keeper Brad Guzan missed a cross and also nodded over when unmarked.

But Villa defender Ciaran Clark opened the scoring for Villa when he headed in an Ashley Westwood cross.

And Idrissa Gueye guided in a second to ensure the hosts progressed.

Villa are marooned at the bottom of the Premier League and the club’s battle against relegation might have been behind the decision of manager Remi Garde to make nine changes from Saturday’s draw with Leicester.

Garde’s team have improved in their last two league games but they were quickly on the back foot against

Wycombe.

There were even a smattering of boos from the home fans at a sparsely populated Villa Park at the half-time whistle.

Villa showed more energy and urgency after the break, with Scott Sinclair the main catalyst for Garde’s team.

He shot wide before another strike was blocked by a last ditch Aaron Pierre challenge.

Jordan Ayew headed wide for the hosts, but last season’s finalists finally broke the deadlock through Clark, with Gueye’s late goal sealing the win.

In other results, Salomon Rondon scored the only goal as West Brom overcame a stubborn Bristol City at the second time of asking to reach the FA Cup fourth round.

The Baggies’ record signing finished coolly from close range after chesting

down a Craig Dawson cross in the box.

It was the one moment of quality during a game in which both sides wasted decent scoring opportunities Tony Pulis’ Premier League side will face League Two Peterborough at the Hawthorns in round four. eague Two Portsmouth booked a home FA Cup tie with Premier League Bournemouth after deservedly upsetting Ipswich in a third-round replay.

Gary Roberts put Portsmouth ahead with a penalty after he was fouled by Piotr Malarczyk before Marc McNulty headed in unmarked for the hosts’ second.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles pulled one back for the Championship side with a curling shot after the break.

But a comeback was snuffed out when Malarczyk was sent off on 77 minutes.

wednesday, JanUaRy 20, 2016 | www.x254.co

Eliud kipchogE top dEfEnd his london virgin marathon crown in april

p14

Injury blight Uganda’s fine start at CHAN

INJURED: Uganda Captain Farouk Miya who set up one goal and scored another before going off injured at half time.

M

ali twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Uganda while Zambia edged out neighbours Zimbabwe 1-0 in the opening Group D games at the African Nations Championship.

Uganda captain Farouk Miya set-up and scored a goal before going off injured at half-time.

While Isaac Chansa scored the only goal of the game to give Zambia their win.

The next Group D games are on Saturday as Zimbabwe play Mali and Uganda face Zambia.

Uganda opened the scoring after just 11 minutes against Mali in the Rwandan city of Rubavu when Joseph Ochaya headed home a freekick from Miya.

Miya has impressed for Uganda in recent months in World Cup qualifying and at the regional Cecafa tournament.

Mali dew level 12 minutes later through Sekou Koita, whose control in the area took him past a defender before he fired past Ismail Watenga in the Ugandan goal.

Then four minutes before half-time Miya scored from the penalty spot for Uganda after Erisa Ssekisambu was fouled in the area.

However there was bad news for Uganda coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic at halftime when injury forced Miya to be replaced by Muzamiru Mutyaba.

There was another injury blow for Uganda shortly after the break when goalkeeper Watenga pulled a muscle while taking a

goal kick, with Mathias Kigonya coming on in his place. Mali equalised on the hour mark through striker Hamidou Sinayoko as he managed to get his foot on the ball and divert it into the net from a Mamadou Coulibaly pass.

Two players who helped Zambia win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 combined for their win over Zimbabwe earlier on Tuesday.

Veteran midfielder Chansa broke the deadlock just before the hour, stretching to convert Chris Katongo’s free-kick to the back post.

Although Zambia had more possession, Zimbabwe spurned a chance to equalise.

Edmore Chirambadare was through oneon-one with the keeper just before half-

time, but shot wide from eight yards.

It was a first defeat for coach Kalisto Pasuwa with the Zimbabwe team, having a record of three wins and three draws going into the match.

And Zambia’s experience told in the end, with Chansa and Katongo combining to strike the decisive blow.

The pair will have boosted their chances of a recall to the full senior team.

Before the match Zambia Football Association president Klausha Bwalya told BBC Sport he believes the pair still have a lot to contribute to the team.

He said a good showing from them at CHAN - the tournament for locally-based players - could revive their international careers.

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