20160106 xnews

WEDNESday, JANUARY 6, 2016 | www.x254.co

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Murkomen: Jubilee laptop project has failed senator admits that it is no longer tenable for the government to give gadgets to pupils and that they will instead put up laboratories to benefit all learners

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NEWS

somali football association boss appointed cecafa vice president

athletics federation to double anti-doping budget to Sh545 bn

Duale defends Jubilee, hits back at opposition

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ajority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale has hit back at the opposition Cord and at the same time defended the Jubilee administration’s scorecard saying it is Kenyans who will determine whether the ruling coalition has failed or not in the next general elections.

In his reaction to Cord leader Raila Odinga’s statement yesterday, Duale said it’s only the people of Kenya who

will decide on the fate of the current government based on its performance and service delivery.

“Jubilee administration failure cannot be judged by the opposition but by the people of Kenya and they will do that when the right times comes,” Duale said.

He however said the opposition is within its constitutional right to criticize the government.

“I understand the opposition is playing its role as

mandated in the constitution but they don’t have the final judgment as far as our performance is concerned,” the Garissa Township MP added. Mr Odinga while delivering what he termed as a state of the nation address at a press conference at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi last evening said the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto has failed Kenyans.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Sampling Mombasa by night

DPP orders Shahbal probe after inciting video goes viral

President Uhuru Kenyatta greets locals of Mombasa as he took a walk in the streets of the coastal town. Mr Kenyatta was on an inspection tour of the recently completed street lighting project dubbed “Mwangaza Mtaani” by Kenya Power in Mombasa. The project now allows extended working hours for businesses and vendors. It was undertaken at a cost of Sh1.2 billion and extended to the local beaches.

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Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigating (DCI) to investigate Mombasa politician Suleiman Shahbal over 2017 elections rigging clims.

Shahbal in a video that has now gone viral on social media was captured saying that the Jubilee administration will win the next general elections by all means.

“This time round I’m telling you that we will win the 2017 elections by force. We will steal, we will buy whatever it will but we must win,” he was captured saying.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Duale defends Jubilee from opposition attacks, hits back

From Page 1

“Jubilee regime has brought down the House called Kenya that it inherited intact in 2013. This is the most corrupt administration in our history - and that is no mean feat.

They have borrowed billions which they have squandered and stolen.

On the Eurobond alone, which they are unable to account for, we have already paid over Sh25 billion interest, yet they are unable show a single project that the money went into,” Mr Odinga said.

He also claimed that having failed in their mandate, “the only thing Jubilee is capable of and is doing now is to set up the machinery for stealing elections.”

But Duale dismissed the claims, saying the Opposition is a ‘cry baby’ that constantly complains and criticize the government through press conferences.

“Let the Opposition stop being crybabies all the time, let them stand up and be counted. They too have MPs who can provide something better,” Duale said referring to the claim that Parliament passed a law which gives the President power over the Judiciary.

On the legitimacy of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to oversee

Opposition chiefs Raila Odinga, Moses Wetangula and Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o at last evening’s press conference at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi where they criticised the government saying it has failed in its mandate.

the next General Election, Duale said Mr Odinga was part of the government during the appointment of the current commissioners.

“If Odinga if doubting the legitimacy of the IEBC, then he is telling

the country that he is doubting himself too because he was part of the Government during their appointment,” Duale said.

The Cord leader yesterday said that IEBC has a serious legitimacy

Murkomen admits Jubilee’s laptop failure One of the ambitious plans by the Jubilee government to give Class One pupils laptops has failed, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has admitted.

Murkomen said it was not tenable for the government to give laptops and instead resorted to build computer laboratories that would benefit all pupils.

“Personally, I want to admit that we have failed in that promise that we made of delivering laptops but the government saw it wise to build computer laboratories in schools to benefit all pupils and this we have achieved,” Murkomen said on Citizen TV today morning.

The laptop project was one of the key pre-election pledges made by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto ahead of the 2013 poll. They promised to roll out the project in 100 days or within the first one year if elected.

“This is my personal view on the issue of laptops, I don’t know what the President thinks about it as I have not discussed the issue with him,” Murkomen added.

Reacting to the yesterday’s address of the nation by Opposition leader Raila Odinga Murkomen said the government cannot be condemned in its entirety as it has also made some significant achievement in the last three years.

deficit that the country “cannot and must not” risk another election that does not enjoy the confidence of all parties.

In his State of the Nation Address yesterday, Odinga said the Jubilee administration has failed to deliver on any of its pledges.

“This government is over. It is irredeemable. It is incapable of anything good. The Jubilee administration has failed. It has not delivered on any of its pledges.

They have not delivered on laptops, their flagship pledge — they lied to children,” Odinga said.

“The sports facilities they promised are nowhere to be seen—they lied to the youth. They have not delivered on food security and bringing down

the cost of living—the GalanaKulalu mega irrigation project is turning out to be another white elephant. Instead, they raised taxes on essential goods—they lied to all,” added the Cord leader.

Murkomen said the Opposition cannot use only one promise of the laptop project to make a final statement that the government has failed.

“The five-year term is not yet even over, why are they not talking about the computer laboratories that we have built that is still benefiting many pupils across the country? posed the Senator.

Ownership of more than 350,000 acres of irregularly acquired land has been revoked in Lamu County.

Title deeds of land totalling 353,770 acres (143,227 hectares) were cancelled and the land returned to Lamu County government for public use, Lands Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi told Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU) last evening.

He said the land comprises 12 parcels whose notice of revocation had expired.

The Lands Cabinet Secretary disclosed that more title deeds to irregularly acquired land will be revoked and returned to the public for “farming and other development”.

Earlier on Monday, President Uhuru Kenyatta met leaders from Lamu at State House, Mombasa, and advised them use the land for the benefit of their people.

“You can set aside land for industries, markets and other public amenities that will directly improve the lives of the people,” President Kenyatta said.

The President, who will issue title deeds to land owners in seven villages in Mkunumbi, also urged citizens to use their pieces of land to improve their welfare. President Kenyatta will start a two-day visit to Lamu County on Thursday.

DPP orders probe against politician Shabal after inciting video goes viral From Page 1

Elgeyo-Marakwet senator Kipchumba Murkomen. He has admitted that the Jubilee government has failed to fulfill its laptop promise to pupils.

Titles of 350, 000 acres in Lamu revoked

Shahbal made the remarks on Saturday during the Deputy President William Ruto’s visit to Kilifi County.

Tobiko directed detectives to investigate the politician over the utterances that offend electoral and criminal laws.

Shahbal recently joined the Jubilee Party after defecting from Wiper. He also contested for Mombasa Governor in the 2013 poll but lost to Hassan Joho.

Following the remarks, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has said action should be taken against Shahbal saying it’s a reflection of what Jubilee intends to do during the next poll.

“This is a clear indication that Jubilee is not loved at the Coast. That is why they want to use crude means to win the elections. We will not let them go unpunished. The law must take its course,” he said.

Last October, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga warned of possible violence in the next elections if

politicians are not stopped from inciting people along ethnic lines.

“As we head towards elections, the drums of possible violence are being beaten and if you haven’t heard them, then you don’t know anything about this country,” Mutunga said.

Former Nairobi Mayor and current ODM chairman Nairobi branch George Aladwa found himself on trouble last year, when he was captured on video saying people will have to die for Cord leader to be President in 2017 during Cord rally in Kibra.

A video clip showing Aladwa making the inciting remarks has drawn widespread condemnation including from fellow Opposition leaders who say they were made in bad taste, particularly, in light of the lives that were lost in the 2007 postelection violence.

Aladwa later denied making the remarks: “I didn’t say Kenyans will die if 2017 poll is rigged, I said they will die of happiness if Raila Odinga wins.”

NEWS 3 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Anxiety as Ruto, Sang await ICC ruling The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber is soon expected to make a landmark ruling on application of Rule 68 which is likely to strengthen or weaken the prosecution’s case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua arap Sang.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, after closing her case against Ruto and Sang in September last year, asked the Trial Chamber to issue a ruling on admissibility of Rule 68 before the case moves to the defence stage.

Next Thursday and Friday, Ruto and Sang will be at The Hague for hearing of oral submissions of their motions of no-case-to-answer which seek to terminate the case.

Trial Chamber V (a) which is hearing the case against Ruto and Sang allowed Bensouda to use primary evidence of five witnesses who had recanted their evidence under Rule 68.

The decision elicited legal and political dissatisfaction with the court being accused of violating an agreement made during the 12th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) in 2013.

As politicians criss-crossed the country to demand non-application of the rule retroactively, defence teams of Ruto and Sang resorted to a legal battle and moved to the Appeals Chamber to challenge the decision.

Kenya, Uganda and Namibia which were also opposed to application of Rule 68 requested

to be allowed to submit their views but were denied the chance by the Trial Chamber.

The Africa Union (AU) was however allowed to submit views which incorporated the position held by the three countries.

The Appeals Chamber in its decision will consider submissions of the defence teams of Ruto and Sang, the AU, the prosecution and the victims’ legal representatives.

Both AU and the defence teams argue that Rule 68 was passed in 2013 but on condition that it would not be applied retrospectively.

The prosecution and the victims’ legal representative Wilfred Nderitu on the other hand want the Appeals Chamber to uphold the Trial Chamber’s decision.

Bensouda in her efforts to secure evidence of the five witnesses has explained to the judges that her witnesses were interfered with and forced to recant their evidence.

So far, the ICC has issued warrant of arrests against three Kenyans accused of interfering with prosecution witnesses.

Bensouda when commenting on witness interference announced that investigations were ongoing to expose more people interfering with witnesses and it is understood that three more sealed arrest warrants have been served.

The Appeals Chamber will soon confirm the decision made by the Trial Chamber or reject it.

Companies warned against airing banned adverts Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) has said it will crack the whip on defiant companies airing banned commercial adverts.

The regulatory body has promised to arrest and arraign in court the directors of the respective firms, who have failed to comply with its directive.

Addressing a press conference in Nairobi, KFCB chief executive Ezekiel Mutua said some companies continue to ignore the government’s directive to stop airing the adverts.

Mutua said the body has now resorted to legal redress to have the companies held responsible for violating the law.

“We are not trade unions to negotiate

NERVOUS: Deputy President William Ruto in a past appearance at the ICC in The Hague. The court is set to rule on the application of Rule 68 later this month.

Should the chamber dismiss application of Rule 68 which allows admission of prior recorded statements, the prosecution has expressed concerns that it will suffer a big blow in its efforts to tighten charges against Ruto and Sang Bensouda while requesting the Trial Chamber to allow use of prior recorded statements of

five of her witnesses who had recanted, said without their prior recorded statements she would be ‘deprived of a significant portion of the incriminating evidence’ against the two.

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on implementing the law, the law shall be applied to the letter, but on defiant companies, we will soon arrest the bosses of these companies for violating the law” said Mutua.

While acknowledging compliance by some companies, Mutua regretted that a section of companies still continue to violate the directive, vowing to take stern action.

He said his commission is in the process of compiling evidence to be presented in court against the rogue companies.

Mutua was speaking today during a meeting with Kenya Film Commission and the Ministry of ICT on the new film licensing.

BE WARNED: Kenya Film Classification Board chief executive Ezekiel Mutua addresses the press at his office today morning. He has warned campanies against airing banned adverts.

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4

NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

NEWS BRIEF

Zimbabwe to increase wildlife exports to China Zimbabwe is to increase the export of wildlife, including elephants, to China, the environment minister says. The move will reduce the chances of elephants dying because of drought, Oppah Muchinguri is quoted by the state-owned Herald newspaper as saying. Critics have previously condemned the exports as “stealing from the future generation’s natural resources”. Zimbabwe was also seeking China’s help to obtain anti-poaching technology, including drones, Ms Muchinguri said. Game parks in Zimbabwe are famous among tourists, but their wildlife is being increasingly threatened by poachers who see China and several other Asian states as a lucrative market. Ivory is used for trinkets, souvenirs and also in traditional medicines. Zimbabwe’s government is also gripped by a financial crisis which has made it difficult to maintain its parks. Officials believe the sale of animals will raise money for their upkeep. Since July last year, Zimbabwe has sold 100 elephants, out of a population of more than 84,000, to China, the Herald reports.

They were sold for about $40,000 (about Sh4 million) each, according to wildlife officials.

North Korea announces H-Bomb test North Korea says it has successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb which, if confirmed, would be its fourth nuclear test since 2006. It came after a 5.1 magnitude quake was detected close to its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, indicating a test may have been conducted. This is North Korea’s first claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb which is more powerful than a basic atomic bomb. International experts have cast doubt over the North’s nuclear capabilities Hours before the seismic activity, South Korean media reported that Pyongyang had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in late December. It is unclear whether the test was successful or not. In May last year, North Korea claimed it had successfully launched a missile from a submarine.

Strong reaction started pouring in after the North Korean announcement of the hydrogen bomb test, with South Korea saying it was a serious challenge to global peace and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was a threat to Japan’s safety and could not be tolerated. The US called on North Korea to abide by its international commitments and obligations saying it would respond to provocations. After previous tests, the international community has responded with economic and political sanctions.

Republicans denounce Obama gun control moves TEARFUL: An emotional Obama announces tighter gun control measures to an audience of survivors and relatives of victims of shootings at the White House last night.

Republicans have vowed to challenges the new measures in court.

Leading US Republicans have denounced President Barack Obama’s move to tighten gun controls.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said the executive orders, which bypass Congress, “undermined liberty” and would be challenged in court.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would reverse the measures.

In an emotional address last night, Mr Obama accused the gun lobby of holding the country hostage.

Wiping away tears, he recalled the 2012 Sandy Hook primary school shooting in which 20 children and six adults were killed.

However, the largest gun

lobby group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), said Mr Obama’s steps would not have prevented any recent mass killings in the US. “Rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens,” said Mr Ryan, a Republican.

“His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”

Correspondents say the announcement is already shaping up to be an issue in the 2016 presidential election.

Donald Trump said that he would “un-sign” the measures if elected to the White House - a sentiment echoed by other Republican presidential candidates.

Senator Ted Cruz tweeted that the executive actions were unconstitutional, with a link to sign up for his campaign correspondence on a web page that says “Obama wants your guns”.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, also a Republican candidate, tweeted that he would repeal the actions and protect the Second Amendment.

Leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted: “@ POTUS is right: We can protect the second Amendment while protecting our families and communities from gun violence.

And we have to.”

President Obama announced the law change at the White House,

surrounded by survivors and relatives of victims of shootings.

“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can’t hold America hostage,” he said. Gun violence is significantly higher in the US than in other advanced countries, killing about 30,000 people each year. Sales of guns in the US appear to have risen recently amid speculation that the White House was going to tighten the law.

Shares in gunmaker Smith & Wesson rose to their highest value since 1999 ahead of President Obama’s announcement.

Congress has been reluctant to pass any laws restricting gun ownership, facing pressure from gun owners and the NRA.

South Africa’s ANC to push for tougher anti-racism law South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) says it will push for tougher legislation to jail anyone guilty of “racial bigotry”, or “glorifying” apartheid.

Black people could no longer be treated as “sub-humans”, it said.

The nation has been gripped by a racism row after Penny Sparrow, an opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) member, on Facebook called black people “monkeys”.

She denied she was a racist.

The DA party suspended her membership.

The racially discriminatory apartheid system ended in South Africa in 1994. It had been introduced in 1948 by the then-

white minority government and was later declared by the UN as a crime against humanity.

A spokesman for the ANC chief whip’s office, Moloto Mothapo, told the BBC that current legislation was insufficient to tackle racism.

“We haven’t had a single person imprisoned for racism despite many instances of racism. We don’t believe it addresses the crime of racism,” he said.

A statement issued by the ANC parliamentary chief whip’s office said racial bigotry and apartheid should be considered a serious human rights violations punishable by imprisonment because of South Africa’s “painful past”.

“Elsewhere glorification of Nazism and denial of Holocaust is a crime and perpetrators are tried and sentenced to a prison term,” it added.

The ANC also said it had filed criminal charges against several DA members - including Ms Sparrow and MP Dianne Kohler Barnard.

Ms Kohler Barnard was expelled from the DA in October after she shared a post on Facebook which suggested that public services in South Africa were better during apartheid and called for the return of former President PW Botha.

She won an appeal against her expulsion from the party, and was instead ordered to pay 20,000

rand ($1,320; £888) to a charity working with communities disadvantaged by apartheid.

On Monday, the DA said it had filed charges against Ms Sparrow “for infringing the dignity of all South Africans and for dehumanising black South Africans” as it did not tolerate racism.

On Facebook, Ms Sparrow used the word monkeys to describe New Year’s revellers on the beach in the eastern city of Durban because of the mess she said they made.

She later apologised but was condemned by many on social media and the hashtag #RacismMustFall was trending on Twitter.

NEWS 5

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Morning newspaper summaries Jubilee plans to rig 2017 You have failed Kenya, 700 head teachers in Kinyua targets Auditorpolls – Raila: The opposition Raila tells Uhuru, Ruto: Kenya guilty of fees hike: General with new rule chiefs yesterday accused the Jubilee Cord leader Raila Odinga yesterday About 700 school heads are guilty of on access to reports: The Coalition of “laying the groundwork” to launched a stinging criticism against violating the Government guidelines on steal the 2017 polls. Cord’s bigwigs said President Uhuru Kenyatta is presiding over the most corrupt administration in Kenya’s history and claimed that proceeds from corruption have been invested in the machinery for rigging the general election. Cord announced they will conduct a lifestyle audit of Deputy President William Ruto whom it accused of splashing around public cash.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee administration, describing it as a failed government that had brought down “the house called Kenya”. Delivering what he called a “state of the nation address” at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi, Mr Odinga said President Kenyatta’s government was the most corrupt in East Africa and in the history of Kenya.

financial needs of schools. This means the guidelines to the current fees structure must be respected as another review kicks off next month and concludes in June.

The current guidelines were last reviewed in 2014. Education CS Fred Matiang’i reached the resolution after a two-hour meeting with school heads.

guidelines released by the government.

The decision was arrived at after twohour meeting chaired by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and by Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers oficials at Jogoo House, Nairobi, following protests from parents.

fees for public secondary schools. The offending head teachers were exposed during an audit by the Education ministry on schools’ fees structures after public uproar over exorbitant fee demands.

Education CS Fred Matiang’i reportedly revealed the statistics at a meeting with head teachers and representatives of teachers unions yesterday.

Jubilee government has hatched yet another plot targeting the independence of the Auditor-general’s office as provided for in the Constitution with public service boss Joseph Kinyua issuing a directive requiring the Kenya National Audit Office to give ministries access to its reports before submitting them to Parliament.

School fees to go up Deal struck on fees, Questions over paternity French tycoon faces tax after every two years: Form One selection: tests at Government fraud charges linked to Education stakeholders yesterday agreed Parents yesterday got some relief after Chemist: Grace, a small-scale Kenya’s Ol Jogi ranch school fees will be reviewed every two secondary school heads agreed to drop trader in Nairobi’s Githurai area, is bitter resort: A lavish holiday ranch years to accommodate the changing extra charges and adhere to the fees with the Government Chemist. Her initial paternity tests at the Government Chemist on September 7, 2012, as ordered by the Children’s Court, showed that her former boyfriend was not the biological father of her baby. The man, a senior official of the KRA in Nairobi, had declined to support the child, claiming he was not the father.

located in Kenya’s Laikipia plains is at the heart of a multi-million euro tax evasion battle whose hearing began on Monday in a Paris court. French authorities accuse owners of Ol Jogi Ranch of hatching a tax fraud scheme that has cost the European nation millions of euros in uncollected taxes.

accused the Jubilee administration of killing independent commissions as he warned that CORD will not accept elections that are not free and fair next year. Raila claimed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration was keen on rolling back gains made over the years to return the country to the old imperial presidency. The former prime minister further said CORD will go to court to challenge “retrogressive amendments”

Low-cost carrier Fastjet is set to launch Tanzania to Nairobi flights on Monday, stepping up competition for Kenya Airways (KQ) and its associate Precision Air which also fly the same routes. The UK budget airline has announced daily flights from Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at prices that are relatively cheaper.

Uhuru wants hospital in Sh17bn laptops tender Raila claims plot to rig Competition hots up Lamu within six months: to be opened on Friday: 2017 general elections: for Kenya Airways as Lamu politicians yesterday told President The ICT Authority will on Friday Opposition chief Raila Odinga yet again Fastjet enters Nairobi: Kenyatta they want the 90-km WituMokowe-Lamu road tarmacked. The leaders, who met the President at State House, Mombasa, said the county’s economic fortunes are dependent on this stretch of road. They said the road has remained “un-tarmacked since Independence”. The leaders, led by Governor Issa Timamy, also asked Uhuru to resolve the security problems in Lamu

open tenders to kick start the process of acquiring 983,271 laptops for class one learners under the Digital Literacy Program. An elaborate plan, being worked on by the authority under the Ministry of ICT, seen by the Nation reveals that the first batch of the devices is expected to be delivered to schools from July. A total of Sh17 billion will be spent on the program that has stalled since 2013 due to a hitch on the procurement process.

Top stories from X News global partners stockmarket US lawsuit brings VW Tearful Obama tightens North Korea Says It Has China’s gun control, tells inactive Detonated a Hydrogen crashes – again: One of the back down to earth: Just oddities of the topsy-turvy world before Christmas, some at Volkswagen congress; “We cant wait”: Bomb: North Korea declared on many of Chinese finance is that red is green dared to believe. “Things look like A tear-stained Barack Obama marked his final year in office with a last-ditch call for US gun control as he outlined new rules that will close important background check loopholes but leave much of the political heavy lifting to his successor. In a much-anticipated speech that focused more on what still needed to be done than the limited set of executive actions announced in advance by the White House, the president painted gun reform as the last great civil rights challenge of his generation. “In Dr King’s words, we need to feel the fierce urgency of now, because people are dying.”

www.theguardian.com

Tuesday that it had detonated its first hydrogen bomb. The assertion, if true, would dramatically escalate the nuclear challenge from one of the world’s most isolated and dangerous states. In a brief announcement, North Korea said that the test had been a “complete success.”

But it was difficult to tell whether the announcement was true. North Korea has made repeated claims about its nuclear capabilities that outside analysts have greeted with skepticism. “This is the selfdefensive measure we have to take to defend our right to live in the face of the nuclear threats,” a female North Korean announcer said. www.nytimes.com

and green is red. In most countries “going into the red” means losing money; stocks that are falling are often depicted in red on ticker boards. In China, however, red is auspicious and so is the colour for stocks that make gains; green is for the losers. Before trading started on January 4th, the first trading day of 2016, Chinese financial media were full of cheery predictions that the nation’s markets would “open the door to red”—that is, get off to a flying start. But when the door opened, it was a flood of green. The CSI 300, an index of the country’s biggest stocks, fell by 7%, the worst-ever start to a year. www.economist.com

they are slowly getting better,” said one executive, after a run of relatively good news and a rising share price. But the announcement on Monday from the US government that it would sue VW over its emissions cheating for at least $45bn brought the German carmaker and its investors back to earth with a bump. Its shares have fallen 10 per cent this week alone. The Department of Justice lawsuit is a stark reminder that for all VW’s progress in clearing up the company’s emissions scandal in European markets, its biggest problems are across the Atlantic. www.ft.com

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BUSINESS

Disaster group prepares continent for the worst

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is helping make disaster risk management and resilience a core part of their post2015 development agenda.

The facility has highlighted Africa as one of the regions that is most vulnerable to natural disasters since many governments across the continent lack the capacity to deal with such threats.

The number of climate-related disasters alone in the last decade is nearly twice that recorded in the 1980’s with countries like Kenya having suffered heavy flooding in recent months.

Working with over 400 partners, GFDRR supports disaster and climate resilience in over 89 countries, and leveraged more than $3 billion (Sh306 billion) for resilience from the World Bank alone in the Full Year 2015 (FY15).

A report from the World Bank indicates that Climate change threatens to worsen extreme weather events like drought, floods, storms, and heatwaves. It states that rapid urbanisation and unplanned development are putting more people in harm’s way than ever before since more than one million people a week are moving into cities, with 90 per cent of urban growth taking place in Africa and Asia.

“These trends will continue to increase the number and severity of disaster events. In the last decade, there were nearly twice the number of climaterelated disasters alone than in the 1980’s,” argues the report.

Through technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge sharing activities, the GFDRR helps vulnerable countries reduce disaster and climate risks and build resilience.

Managed by the World Bank, GFDRR is a global partnership funded by 22 donor partners with a mission help developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerabilities to natural hazards and adapt to climate change.

During the past fiscal year, GFDRR

provided nearly $80 million (ShSh8.2 billion) in grants that address these challenges in over 89 countries. This work has enabled vulnerable countries to leverage significant additional funding in resilience – including more than $3 billion from the World Bank alone in FY15. In Kenya for instance, an initiative dubbed the Hunger Safety Net Program prevented a five per cent increase in poverty among beneficiaries following the 2011 drought.

The impact of GFDRR’s growing program this past fiscal year included supporting a post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) and further recovery efforts after two high-magnitude earthquakes struck Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley in April and May. It included the training of over 11,000 people in disaster risk management

(DRM) topics, including in Indonesia where a GFDRR-supported initiative focused on capacity building has trained over 750 local DRM practitioners from 53 districts.

GFDRR also scaled up DRM through its innovative thematic initiatives. The Safer Schools Program is helping to make students and schools safer through better construction practices.

“This past year has been historic for the global resilience agenda, marking the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (SFDRR), which will help guide GFDRR and the global community’s DRM efforts through 2030, as well as the landmark climate agreement in Paris and the Sustainable Development Goals,” adds the report.

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

MEAN 102.2674 150.5172 110.8564 6.5844 33.1974 21.1896

BUY SELL 102.1683 102.3665 150.3500 150.6844 110.7356 110.8564 6.5767 6.5922 33.1163 33.2784 21.1202 21.2590

US sets eyes on Kenya’s nascent oil industry in partnership agreement Kenya and the United States are in negotiations for the construction of an oil pipeline in Northern Kenya, the Ministry of Energy has revealed. Energy has been singled out as one of the key enablers of the Vision 2030, according to the Ministry.

US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec who called on Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter on Tuesday said the pipeline is one of the areas they are looking to co-operate in “to help extract Kenya’s oil.” Keter said Kenyans were keen to begin benefitting from oil discoveries made on their land and was cognisant that extraction is a capital intensive affair and would require partnership.

“The exploration, discovery of oil was done in 2012 and people are asking when are we going to be one of the net exporters of oil and I think that is a very crucial area; we need to fast track so that we lower the cost of fuel in the country,” he said.

Godec said that for Kenya to realise her full energy

potential, the partnership would need to go beyond government to government and into public-private partnership.

“Kenya needs probably $14 to $18 billion worth of financing so one of questions we are discussing is how we can work together as the private sector and government.”

Through President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative, Kenya and the US are already collaborating in the area of electricity generation.

Kenya is among six African countries benefiting from a 2013-15 Sh604, 099,766,213 American investment in Power Africa. The Kinangop Wind Park, for example, is among the projects Power Africa is partnering on with the Kenyan government and private investors. Power Africa has also partnered with the World Bank and the African Development Bank in the effort to connect 20 million homes and businesses in Africa to the power grid.

CA blames government for clipping its powers

The number of climate related disasters alone in the last decade is nearly twice that recorded in the 1980’s with countries like Kenya having suffered heavy flooding in recent months.

Yahoo shuts down video streaming site Internet firm Yahoo has shut down its video hub Yahoo Screen after the website failed to attract viewers.

The closure according to Chief Executive Marissa Mayer is part of the company’s efforts to reduce costs and bring it back to profitability.

Ms Mayer redesigned Yahoo Screen 16 months ago to make it a competitor to YouTube and Netflix and more accessible to mobile users.

According to BBC, the shutting down of video streaming therefore means yahoo will be spreading its video content

CBK EXCHANGE RATES

through the website.

“We’re constantly reviewing and iterating on our products as we strive to create the best user experience,” the company said in a statement.

According to ComScore, US visitors to the site declined 28 per cent between October 2013 and October 2015, despite adding popular shows such as Saturday Night Live and Community.

The move appears to be part of Ms Mayer’s resolutions to eradicate technologies that were costing more money that they were earning

Yahoo has been struggling for years to turn its millions of visitors into reliable revenue streams.

In December, the company announced it would not sell its stake in Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba- a plan Ms Mayer’s had publically pursued. Instead, Yahoo plans to separate its core internet business from other business lines by making it into a separate company.

Ms Mayer said Yahoo was taking steps to focus and prioritise in order to drive growth but more details of the spilt are expected in the course of the month.

The Communication Authority of Kenya yesterday accused the government of restricting the watchdog’s ability to manage competition in the sector by amending the law, a move that could hinder investment.

However, smaller telecom operators across the country claim unfair competition stating that the biggest operator, Safaricom is too dominant.

According to Director Communications Authority of Kenya Francis Wangusi, Parliament last month took away CA’s independence in determining if an operator was dominant when it changed some sections of the law.

The amendments requires CA to involve the country’s competition authority and the Ministry of Information and Communication before making a decision on market dominance and have already been signed into law.

“This is likely to expose CA to various forms of litigation and hinder efforts to further attract investments to the sector thus slowing down anticipated growth,” Wangusi said in an emailed statement in response to questions from Reuters.

However, the chair of the Energy and Information, Communications and Technology Committee in the National Assembly Jamleck Kamau said lawmakers wanted to enhance the decision-making on issues of dominance in the sector by bringing in another body with expertise on competition.

“We don’t want a situation where one party wakes up today and says ‘you are dominant’,” he told Reuters.

According to Wangusi, the changes flew in the face of the global practice, where dominance in telecom industries is usually assessed by the sector regulator independently on market forecasts among other factors.

BUSINESS 7

Uganda now lowers growth BIZ BRIEFS Co-op Bank receives forecasts amid high inflation Sh10 billion loan from finance group WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Uganda’s Finance ministry has lowered the country’s 2015/16 (July-June) economic growth forecast just weeks after Kenya lowered its own, citing inflation as the major cause of financial turmoil in the region.

Uganda lowered its growth forecast to 5 per cent from a previous projection of 5.8 per cent, citing the impact of higher lending rates.

In a budget policy paper seen by Reuters on Tuesday, the Ministry also forecast growth would climb back to 5.8 percent in 2016/2017.

Uganda’s announcement follows that of Kenya, whose economic growth forecast for 2015 was cut for the second time by Treasury to a similar 5.8 per cent down from the original 6.5 per cent just weeks ago.

Last year, Uganda’s central bank raised its benchmark policy rate several times, to try to stem inflationary pressures partly triggered by a weak shilling, Reuters reports.

The country’s central bank and the International Monetary Fund have also lowered their 2015/2016 growth projections citing sluggish private sector credit growth.

“Growth is expected to remain at 5.0 per cent in fiscal year 2015/16, constrained by the higher commercial bank rates,” the Ministry said in the paper.

The rate of economic expansion, it said, was expected “to pick up to 5.8 percent in fiscal year 2016/17, mainly driven by a scale up in public infrastructure spending and a rebound in private sector activity.”

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Finance Minister Henry

Rotich Rotich has blamed the country’s lower growth prospects on the state’s tighter monetary policy and the potential impact of the El Nino weather patterns that have plagued the region.

Kenya relies heavily on agriculture, which is touted as the backbone of the country’s economy. The rains, brought about by the El Nino phenomenon, have already wreaked havoc in parts f the country as farmers were forced, just weeks ago, to harvest their crop

early in anticipation for the resultant floods.

Nonetheless, new measures, including infrastructure projects and energy development initiatives are underway as the state moves to bolster the economy.

Uganda is also at various stages of implementing a range of energy and transportation infrastructure projects, including two hydro power dams, express highways and a railway project.

Chase Bank on wooing spree after holiday crunch A businesswoman counts Ugandan shillings in Kampala. Uganda lowered its growth forecast to 5 per cent from a previous projection of 5.8 per cent, citing the impact of higher lending rates.

Fastjet readies to fly Kenya-Tanzania skies Fastjet will launch its low cost operations on January 11 between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to Nairobi.

Fastjet Tanzania has finally been cleared by the Kenyan government to operate flights between Kenya and Tanzania under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the two countries, as previously approved by the Tanzanian government.

Return flights from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport, will operate daily, using Fastjet’s Airbus A319 aircraft with seating for up to 156 passengers.

“We are very grateful to the transportation ministries and the civil aviation authorities in both Kenya and Tanzania for working together to make it possible for Fastjet to realise our vision of growing the number of consumers who can access the convenience of affordable air travel,” Jimmy Kibati, Fastjet General Manager for East Africa said.

The airline will operate as a budget airline since fares will be exclusive of government taxes as well as baggage and refreshments.

Tickets for flights on the new routes are on sale immediately, with Nairobi/Kilimanjaro fares starting from Sh5, 110 one-way, and Nairobi/Dar es Salaam fares

starting from Sh8,177 one- way.

Fares exclude government taxes which stand at Sh5, 110 departing Tanzania and Sh4, 088 departing Kenya.

“The basic fact is that competition is good for consumers. It brings choice and it brings air fares down. Affordable fares will make it easier for more entrepreneurs, tourists and other visitors to travel between Tanzania and Kenya,” Kibati said.

“Also available for purchase on these route will be Fastjet’s luggage upgrade option, ‘Freighty’, that allows passengers to transport up to 80kg of checked-in bags for Sh 8, 100. The freight luggage option in particular is expected

to be popular with traders flying with Fastjet to purchase wholesale produce internationally to transport back to their home markets to sell,” he added.

Fastjet Kenya, a separate company within the Fastjet group, is still yet to get an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to allow it to kick off operations within the country.

In October 2015, Fastjet Kenya announced that it had been granted an air service licence (ASL) by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), giving a clear way for the application of AOC which, when received, will allow the airline to operate domestic flights within Kenya.

Electronics giant to expand mobile pay services South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics Company limited has today announced that it will launch its mobile payments service in three additional countries, as well as introduce the system on its Gear S2 smartwatches. Samsung, through an official Twitter account, said Samsung Pay is “coming soon” to Australia, Brazil and Singapore.

The service was launched last year in South Korea and the United States with plans to enter other markets including China, Spain

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya has secured a long-term financing facility with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) amounting to $105 million (Sh10.7 billion).

The lender has said it will use the facility mainly to finance export-oriented enterprises and other institutions that need financing support in foreign exchange.

The bank has been targeting the loan from as early as October last year.

Co-operative bank will now join a number of lenders that have received funding from the IFC, which is also the World Bank’s private lending arm.

Last year, the lender had said that the facility will be used to increase the bank’s lending to the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector and expand its construction and mortgage financing portfolio. The project will be supported by IFC’s global SME facility and the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity facility.

and Britain. Samsung is hoping the payments service will set its phones apart from competing devices, helping the firm protect market share against rivals including Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT. UL) and compel users to pay a bit more for the convenience.

In a separate statement Samsung said its Gear S2 smartwatches will start supporting Samsung Pay in South Korea and the United States in early 2016. The watches will soon be compatible with Apple devices, the firm said

without elaborating.

Samsung has reported a strong response to Samsung Pay in its home country and the United States, though the service does not generate revenue on its own for Samsung.

An early advantage for Samsung Pay is its compatibility with magnetic stripe card readers already in wide use among retailers.

In comparison, Apple’s competing service - Apple Pay - requires retailers to install new equipment supporting near-field communication technology.

Chase Bank, one of the country’s growing lenders has made moves to woo new and existing customers following the festive season crunch.

As Kenyans grapple with the consequences of their holiday spending, the bank is offering a free banker’s cheque with every one of its Pebble Savings Accounts.

The Pebble Account is a savings account for children between the ages of 0 and 12 years.

The lender states that the product offers competitive interest rates on savings.

Chase Bank’s offer comes at a time when lenders are making aggressive moves to grow their portfolios with the government having encouraged financial institutions to lower their lending rates in a bid to encourage borrowing among consumers.

TV manufacturers welcome brighter, better HDR screens Leading TV makers Samsung and LG have said that all of their new flagship TVs will support high dynamic range video playback or HDR-enabled screens, devices that can show millions more colours and several more shades of brightness between black and white.

The announcements follow the creation of a new scheme that defines what HDR standards a 4K TV must meet to let it be sold with an “Ultra HD Premium” sticker.

Other manufacturers, including Sony, Panasonic, HiSense, TCL and Sharp have also announced forthcoming TVs that will qualify for the badge, the BBC reports.

Over recent years, the TV industry has focused on marketing 4K TVs and devices as a reason to upgrade from the current industry standard. 4K signifies that a television has four times as many pixels as a 1080p high definition set.

8

BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

Bull run at NSE unlikely soon, investors warned Kenyans investing in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) have been told to brace for tough and uncertain market conditions in 2016 after the year 2015 ended on a low tone.

The dismal tone was based on equities as investment options, since declining prices made up most part of the year.

During the year, the Kenya equities market performed poorly with the NSE All Share Index and NSE 20 shedding 10.6 per cent and 21 per cent respectively, as a result of declines in large cap stocks, while the NSE 25 lost 2.2 per cent since inception during the year.

Pan Africa Asset Management Portfolio Manager Kevin Kiprono attributes the decline to slowdown growth in China and the uncertainty over the timing of the US Federal Reserve rate hike which led to foreign investors exiting the market.

He says they are not expecting a market bull run in the near term as the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point and pledged a gradual pace of increases. The move will limit action from foreigners who contribute much of the turnover in equity markets. “Nonetheless, there are stocks that are highly undervalued and present good entry levels thus making the overall equities market a stock-pickers market in 2016,” Kiprono said.

IMF ready for challenges as world braces for tougher year The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is making moves to bolster the global economy this year, the group’s Survey Division has revealed.

In spite of financial challenges facing emerging markets such as Kenya, IMF is confident that new reforms will help stabilise global markets.

“The global economy in 2015 saw some economies strengthen, while others—particularly emerging and developing economies—squeezed by plummeting commodity prices and tightened financial conditions,” the group said in a recent address.

Regardless of these challenges, the IMF marked some significant changes in 2015 as the United States Congress passed the 2010 quota reform and China’s currency, the yuan, was added to the IMF’s basket of official currencies.

Nonetheless, IMF Economic

Counsellor and Director of Research, Maury Obstfeld has warned that “the year will offer an abundance of challenges.”

Shortly before the start of the New Year, IMF Survey sat down with Obstfeld to discuss the past year and to look ahead to 2016.

Obstfeld noted that though 2015 was somewhat fraught with financial troubles, it also had some positive results to deliver.

“There was good news and bad news. The US economy continued its solid growth and job creation, while Europe generally picked up speed and Japan remained a question mark. But with some exceptions (such as India), emerging and developing countries continued to slow in the face of falling commodity prices and tighter financial conditions, and synchronized and sustainable global growth remained elusive,” he

said.

Obstfelt established that in some countries, there is “an overlay of political or geopolitical tension that magnifies the purely economic challenges.”

This is evident in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has seen tensions rise due to spats of political unrest or terrorist activity in recent years.

He has argued that how these tensions play out in 2016 will be a major determinant of regional and global macroeconomic outcomes.

The IMF’s announcement comes barely weeks after the Fund cut Kenya’s 2015 economic growth forecast to 5.6 per cent against their earlier projection of 6.5per cent.

The group warned in early December that Kenya’s GDP growth acceleration in 2015 was slower than projected due to delays in planned road infrastructure

spending, weaker tourism receipts, and volatile external capital flows.

The Fund added that Kenya’s macroeconomic policies would need to be practical in order to contain inflation within the government’s target range. IMF experts also warned that the state needs to maintain public debt on a sustainable path to keep the economy stable.

The IMF has played a major role in supporting emerging markets like Kenya but governments carry the burden of bolstering their countries’ economies.

“We have to be realistic about our resources, which are not unlimited.

But the Fund has long and rightly been concerned with macro-critical issues like women’s labor-force participation and labor-market institutions, which can also be quite relevant to some of our Article IV assessments,” Obstfeld said.

Apollo’s market debut as it seeks Sh5 billion Apollo Asset Management Company has made its mass market debut with three new investment funds, with an eye on Sh5 billion in assets within the next two years.

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) gave the asset management firm approval to launch six products. The firm plans to roll out other products beginning next year.

“Despite the competitive environment, we intend to grow our offering through both conventional and non-conventional channels with an ambitious target of Sh5bn of unit trust assets by 2018,” said Apollo Asset Management chief executive Fred Mburu.

Initially the firm will launch a money market, equity and balanced fund while the bond, East Africa and Shariah-compliant funds will come to the market later.

“The three unit trust products offer our clients a variety of options depending on their risk appetite and objective for investment,” added Mr Mburu.

The CMA 2014 annual report says that as at June 2014, the unit industry was worth Sh34 billion, an 11 per cent increase from Sh31 billion a year earlier.

Regardless of these challenges, the IMF marked some significant changes in 2015 as the United States Congress passed the 2010 quota reform and China’s currency, the yuan, was added to the IMF’s basket of official currencies.

Free Wi-Fi to replace pay phones in New York City New York City will this month begin replacing thousands of pay phones with free Wi-Fi hot spots. The city expects to have 500 hot spots installed by July, and eventually about 7,500 units will be replaced.

The hot spots will sit atop a 9.5-foot tall box with electronic screens on each side to display advertising.

Sandwiched between the sidewalk ads will be an Android tablet that can be used to place free phone calls and surf the Web. The advertisingsupported project, called LinkNYC, is being run by CityBridge, a joint venture between three tech companies: smartphone chip maker Qualcomm Inc, networking company CIVIQ Smartscapes and

Intersection, which has backing from Google parent company Alphabet Inc. CityBridge says it is investing more than $200 million (Sh 20b) in the project.

Many cities have tried installing free public Wi-Fi, but it often didn’t work well enough to draw many users because speeds were slow or the experience was bogged down by requiring users to watch an ad before connecting. CityBridge says its Wi-Fi will deliver broadband speeds of 1,000 megabits a second, about 100 times typical speeds provided by wireless carriers. Users won’t be forced to sit through ads on their mobile devices to log on and devices will connect automatically after a user signs in the first time.

In the short term, free Wi-Fi might help carriers by taking some strain off their overloaded networks. The city is especially difficult to cover because there are so many skyscrapers.In the long run, however, Wi-Fi poses a more fundamental threat. Cable companies, such as Comcast Corp., have begun installing hundreds of thousands of public access points that their home broadband customers can access free.

Services such as Republic Wireless and Google’s Project Fi—which are a fraction of the cost of the major carriers—primarily run over Wi-Fi and fall back on carrier networks only when Wi-Fi isn’t available.

“This is creating all kinds

of competition,” said Colin O’Donnell, CityBridge’s chief technology officer. “This is going to set a new standard for speed, drive pricing competition, and set new expectations for data caps.We “view this as a complimentary service,” said an AT&T spokesman. Verizon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

CityBridge plans to make money via advertising on the billboards.

During its 12-year contract, CityBridge will pay the city $500 million or a 50 per cent revenue share, whichever is greater. The company says it has several advertising contracts in place, but declined to identify the marketers.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

ACCESS top story

FASHION SCOOP

11

The ranT, irked by unsupporTed claims on nude images, spewed iTs naked and ruThless TenTacles To our neighbors

The

Kenyan-Tanzania

Tweef...

E

ast Africa is a friendly region. It’s hailed as a place where brotherhood is expressed given the common identity of the Swahili language.

From the west lies Uganda and to the South is Tanzania. While everything on land seemed calm and collected the netizens had something else cooking.

It’s not un common on the Kenyan streets to hear people complaining about how slow Tanzanian’s are and on the other hand the streets of Dar and Arusha are filled with rumors of how “white” Kenyans have become.

So after having joyous festivities and washing twitter with grandiose of Christmas, Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) decided to begin 2016 with a rant about Tanzania on Instagram. #KickOutTanzaniaOnIG trended for the better part of the day with the sister nations sling mud ridden tweefs.

Apparently, some Kenyans were still ‘hangover by Christmas holiness’ and they were not ready to have their clean ‘souls,’ fresh from prayerful summons, darkened by heavy posting of ‘vulgar’ images on Instagram by Tanzanians.

The rant, irked by unsupported claims on nude images, spewed its naked and ruthless tentacles to our neighbors and Kenyans purporting a ‘totally clean’ holier than thou sort of madness.

Sampling some of the tweefs @erikooh Waking up to #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG tag by @xtiandela for the wanton posting of adult posts on IG thus polluting our discovery page. Whoa!

According to one Kenyan @XtianDelah #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG was necessary because, “If Tanzanians are not stopped on Instagram, this vice will find its way into Kenya and you will see adult images.”

Another hoped for a Magufuli intervention noting #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG wait till #magufili here’s about this trend...he be like “hakuna natumizi ya mtandao wa instaguramu” The fun began when Tanzania responded in beautifully woven Swahili, which of course left many Kenyans floating, literally.

The tweets were polite but candid enough to let Kenyans know that Tanzania is not less of a nation.

Lilian John @trimlily noted “Dear Kenyans As you keep on with #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG we are soon going to #beatupyoureconomy” Another one noted @kennedymmari Kenyan tribalists be trying harder to #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG, meanwhile they have miserably failed to #KickAlShabaabOutOfKenya.

Another Tanzanian noted that none of the Kenyan artistes is on the top five of the most sought after singers or most trending like their Diamond Platinum !After these exchanges, some Kenyans and Ugandans seemed to have come to the aid of Tanzania proclaiming there is need for thought before attacking a sister nation. @WALI_MART I am surprised this hashtag is trending #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG Instead of kicking corruption out of Kenya the attack is on Tanzanians? @OutahB #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG the self-righteousness person who started this only shows how silly they are. @bettywaitherero #KickTanzaniansOutOfIG Kenyan hash tag warriors are embarrassing.

Perhaps Kenyans are just jealous that Obama visited Tanzania first or that President Magufuli is hands on matters regarding corruption and or that Tanzanians possess the lesser tribalism evil than they do.

The only true fact however is that the Swahili swagger and calmness in the tweef left KOt with egg on their faces. Meanwhile Diamond ha a whopping 1million followers on IG, go figure!

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THE DESIGN AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MAGAZINE OF THE FUTURE

10

ACCESS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

HEALTH &FITNESS

All lettuce is A good source of chlorophyll And vitAmin K

Tare

he words lettuce and salad practically interchangeable since most salads are made predominantly with the green crispy leaves of lettuce. Most varieties of lettuce exude small amounts of a white, milky liquid when their leaves are broken. This ‘milk’ is what gives lettuce its slightly bitter flavor. All lettuce is a good source of chlorophyll and vitamin K. Lettuce is good especially for dieters because it is very low in calories. It

DiscoVer The

leTTuce

is also a good source of Iron which is the most active element in the body therefore it must be replenished frequently to meet any sudden demand of the body such as the rapid formation of red blood corpuscles which help replenish heavy loss of blood.

Lettuce magnesium content has exceptional vitalizing powers especially in the brain and the nerves.

The juice of lettuce combined with carrot and spinach juice is very helpful

for maintaining the normal color of hair. This veggie is beneficial in the treatment of insomnia as it contains a sleep inducing substance. It also helps in treating acid indigestion, anemia, arthritis, catarrh, circulatory problems, colitis, constipation, cough, diabetes, gastritis, gout, irritable bowel, obesity, sexual addiction, stress, tuberculosis, ulcers and urinary tract diseases.

Make lettuce your friend this year and reap the benefits.

WORKOUT HOME IMPROVEMENT It is time for women to say goodbye to “honeydo” lists and tackle home improvement projects on their own.

guiDelines

How to burn all the extra

holiDay JunK

i

t’s time to go back to work or school after the festive season that saw you party and eat like there was no tomorrow. Your dress is tighter, you can’t quite seem to button your jeans and shirts without a struggle. Worry not!

Here are a few ways to lose those calories and get back in shape.

Mountain cliMbers: From a full

plank position, alternate “running” knees into chest as quickly as you can. Keep core engaged the entire time, and push speed as much as possible without compromising form. cross chops: Hold a weighted ball or dumbbell with both hands in front of chest, arms extended, and stand with feet wide. Bend both knees and pivot feet to the left, lowering ball toward left shin. Immediately straighten legs, raise ball overhead, and pivot to the right. Do 8 reps, then switch sides (rotate in opposite direction).

Floor jacks: Lie face down on the floor or mat. Extend arms and legs into an ‘X’ shape and then do ‘jumping jacks’ in this position (no actual jumping involved).

suPer MoM

The New Year is making us all change tact. So we are challenging women to take up home improvement projects and tear down the myth that home improvement is a man’s work.

This should be made easy by the fact that information has become readily available on the internet.

It is time for women to say goodbye to “honey-do” lists and tackle home improvement projects on their own. Having the right attitude, believing in yourself, practicing proper safety and getting the right tools is just about everything that you need as a woman to get your home in shape. You can take on small projects such as painting,

spaces?

DIY

sawing, nailing up, and tearing down.

While women generally don’t have the natural ability, and by this we mean lack of upper body strength and small hands, but there are ways around brute strength for the amateur do-it-herself. We recommend knowing where the main shut-off valves for all your utilities are located. Women need to know how to turn off the main power sources for the gas, water, and electricity in their homes. This is critical in an emergency.

Take the proper safety precautions.

Always read the instructions.

Start out your projects slowly with smaller, less dangerous tools. Don’t

get a table top saw right off the bat.

Identify the project and have the right tools. Don’t waste a lot of time by working with the wrong tools.

Good tools are worth investing in up front and will save you money in the long run, since they won’t need to be replaced. They’ll also save you a lot of aggravation -- and not being aggravated is priceless. Be sure to mark your project materials before cutting them. The old adage goes, “Measure twice, cut once.” Organize your work space and keep it clutter-free. Clean up as you work to keep the area safe and free of potential hazards, especially anything that you can trip over.

Turn your cloTh hangers inTo shoe hangers To undertake this small project you will need a metallic hanger and a pair of plyers.

1Start by cutting out the long stretch of wire

which is the down part of the hanger such that you are left with the sides only.

2 Use the pair of plyers to fold the sides in an outward manner to enable supporting.

3 You can make your new shoe hanger look fancy by wrapping a ribbon around it and give it a more finished look. It is that simple!

Try it.

11

ACCESS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY OCTOBER 6, 28,2016 2015

FASHIONScoop

@EYES ON FASHION

KIM KArdASHIAN: Representing the bold and the audacious.

KYlIE JENNEr: Representing the young and the explorative.

KAtY PErrY: Representing the freaky and the imaginative.

MINdY KAlINg: Representing the fashionable plus size woman.

FAshion iCons to wAtCh in

KAtE MIddlEtON: Representing the royal and the sophisticated.

Julie Gichuru dumps Citizen TV personality Julie Gichuru has moved her show African Dialogue to KBC. Julie posted in her social media pages inviting all her fans to join her on the national broadcaster, where leaders, policy makers and entrepreneurs will be having serious conversations.

Questions are being raised as to why Julie moved her show from Citizen which is hailed as leading broadcaster with 76 pc market share. Her show will begin his Saturday at 8pm and every other Saturday thereafter.

A new year means new beginnings and 2016 is already promising us a spectacle in the world of fashion. From chic designs to classy looks on the red carpet, we can expect an improvement from 2015 and the years before. We sampled the top fashion icons to look out for this year, each representing a particular mindset.

HOT TOPICS

juLIe

KErrY WASHINgtON: Representing the beautiful but modest.

KimYe will sell baby pics top highest bidder?

Baby Saint West, who is probably the heir to Kim and Kanye Wests Celebrity Empire is already causing ripples in Hollywood.

Saint West born last year is barely a month old but could be raking in millions for the couple.

Word on the streets of Hollywood is that the duo are being

offered millions to the tune of $2.5M approximately 25 Million shillings to exclusively unleash images of the tot.

KimYe

ALAI

Alai in trouble again

Controversial blogger Robert Alai spent the better part of his day yesterday in court. Alai was responding to an alleged suit of defaming EACC chair Halake Waqo. Apparently Alai had earlier mentioned that the Anti-Graft CEO acquired his papers through University of Nairobi’s back door instead of sitting in class. The blogger did not seem perturbed and tweeted and retweeted while in court.

CLASSIFIED

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

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DAILYHOROSCOPES

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18 Today you might feel a little gloomy without knowing why, Aquarius, and you could spend a lot of time trying to find a reason. There probably isn’t any concrete reason. It’s likely that you’re simply responding to low biorhythms. This is, therefore, a great day to go for a workout.

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CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan19 Someone you care about might need you to do something for them that you don’t feel comfortable doing, and this could put you in a tough spot. You probably won’t want to do it, but your friend needs your help. Consider every possible contingency before saying yes or no.

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WEDNESday 6/1/2016

sunny

25

25ºC 59%

THURsday 7/1/2016

More sun than clouds

26 6:32 am 6:44pm

26ºC 53%

PISCES Feb 19 - Mar 20 A close friend or love partner you haven’t seen for a while could finally make arrangements to see you, Pisces. You therefore could spend much of the day in a great mood, looking forward to the encounter ahead. You’ll have a lot of fascinating information to share.

6:33 am 6:45 pm

FRIday

26

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 house might seem rather empty today, Aries, as most of the other members of your household are probably out and about. This is, however, a good time for you to take care of some projects of your own that you’ve been putting off. In the evening you might entertain some visitors.

TAURUS Apr 20 - May 20 By all means do this. However, bear in mind that your empathic abilities are operating at a very high level today, and therefore you could actually experience some of their discomfort. Be sure to protect yourself psychically by keeping the white light around you if you want to avoid feeling ill yourself.

GEMINI May 21 - Jun 21 Therefore, today you could actually find yourself giving up on it. This doesn’t imply that what you want will never happen. In fact, sometimes letting go of a dream can actually cause it to manifest.

Remember this when you start to brood on your lack of success so far. All is not hopeless!

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 21 A member of your household may be having troubles, Cancer, and therefore you might consider staying home from work in order to help them get through it all. Whether to stay home or go to work may be a difficult decision to make today, but be sure you weigh all possible factors.

LEO Jul 23- Aug 22 An important career concern could require considerable effort on your part today in order to enable you to advance whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, Leo. At some point during the day, you may be plagued by doubts as to your ability to do this. However, don’t let this cause you to panic.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 21 A trip that you wanted to take may have to be postponed, Virgo, probably for financial reasons.

You’ll want to make the journey in the company of someone who’s financially strapped right now.

This could be disappointing, but remember that this is only a delay.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22 The need to complete an important task could have you mustering a far higher level of self-control than you’re used to, Libra. Perseverance and determination could dominate your mood, and therefore you could accomplish wonders. Your work will only suffer if you neglect your body.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21 A business or romantic partner could be in a rather schizoid mood today, Scorpio. You’ll probably spend a lot of time together, and during the course of the day your friend could jump between enthusiasm and gloom. This could drive you crazy, as you won’t know how to respond.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Generally, you tend to be rather ingenious where work is concerned, Sagittarius, but today you may feel that the fountain of innovation has totally dried up. No matter how hard you try, you probably won’t be able to muster any new ideas whatsoever. Concentrate on routine tasks today.

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PLAY

13

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

CROSSWORD Across 1. “___ Excited” (Pointer Sisters song) 5. USN rank 9. Palliates 14. Barbarian 15. Orange-roofed hotel, for short 16. Got up 17. Having a very distinct style, perhaps 19. King’s term 20. Skin layer 21. Hemp fiber used in caulking 23. Lawyer’s abbr.

25. Zeros 30. Barq’s with ice cream 33. Famous West 35. Aswan Dam site 36. Less 37. Some gps.

39. Boxer’s hit 42. Where Moses died 43. Salome’s seven, in opera 45. Treats, as a sprain 47. Floppy-eared rabbit 48. Very tiny 52. “... or ____, that is the question” 53. Tear 54. Psi follower 57. Make dirty 61. Earthen container 65. Bully 67. Comic actor Jack 68. Painter Jan van ___

69. “That ____ unfair!”

70. Witch’s home, in the Bible 71. Cheerleaders’ chants 72. Filmmaker Joel Down 1. Bibliography abbr.

2. Manner 3. Evening, in France 4. Start of Juliet’s balcony plea 5. Half a latin dance 6. Japanese sleuth Mr. ____ 7. Wall St. index, for short 8. Gipper’s coach 9. Winter wear 10. Amazement 11. Thai side-street 12. Cardiac readout, briefly 13. D.C. lawmaker 18. Mortar user 22. Old Egy.-Syr. alliance 24. Medicine cabinet item 26. Country’s Campbell 27. Thurston ____ III (“Gilligan’s Island”) 28. Fitness routine based on martial arts 29. Barbershop tool 30. “Seinfeld” label maker, for one 31. ___-ray 32. Puny 33. “The Jeffersons” theme “____ On Up” 34. “There ___ atheists in the foxholes”

38. Eye opening for a squint 40. Injection amts.

41. Scion 44. English billiards game 46. Clobber 49. Apple alternative 50. Balance unsteadily 51. In ___ (freaked out) 55. Artist Francisco 56. Part of a foot 58. “You never had ____ good!”

59. Pry 60. Disney sci-fi flick 61. Renowned British miler 62. Competed 63. Signaled “thumbs up” 64. Union inits.

66. Ger. currency, once

Yesterday’s answers

YOURSAY Addressing education woes will revive sector The National government should come up with permanent solutions to the perennial challenges facing the education sector.

The sector that has faced perennial teachers’ strikes and teacher shortages is grappling with new challenges of hiked school fees, teachers’ absenteeism and high cost of learning materials as well as the Form One intake selection criterion.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i while releasing the Kenya Certificate of

Primary Education (KCPE) results last week attributed the poor performance especially by public school to the numerous challenges in the sector.

Being newly appointed, Matiang’I must come in with freshness to end the debacle.

He has his work cut out.

He must enforce fees guidelines and engage the publishers and other stakeholders, on the way forward.

He must fully engage the Teachers service Commission

(TSC), the school heads and the teachers unions to have an amicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to end the perennial strikes.

The controversy surrounding the Form One intake must be dealt with timely to avoid more problems in the sector.

He should as well engage the relevant ministries to ensure the capitation to facilitate free education has been released on time to avoid paralysing schooling activities.

— Nderitu, Makongeni

Uhuru should ensure new projects succeed Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced his government’s plan to build the Dongo Kundu Bypass in a bid to decongest Mombasa and offer an alternative route to the South Coast. In order to solve the perennial traffic jams in the coastal town, the president outlined details of a proposed construction of the Changamwe bypass that will link the western part of Mombasa and the North Coast. All these development plans are welcome as they are in the way of achieving the country’s vision 2030. However, I think that these proposals are way too much and

may not see the light of day if the previous experiences are anything to go by, from flouting of procurement rules to court cases by those who do not get the tenders to build the roads just as it happened in the bid for the Standard Gauge Railway. In light of this, the president should ensure his undivided attention in the whole process and may even use presidential directive if need be to prevent ‘tenderprenuers’ from ‘eating’ more of Kenyan money leaving us with nothing.

—Anne M, Nairobi

New political outfits spell doom for development With past experience and having watched the political turbulence Kenyans face, 2016 may only remain an electioneering year with little or no development.

The launch of Maendeleo Chap Chap by Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and Bomet Governor Rutto’s Mashinani Development Party of Kenya (MDPK) outfit has signaled a wave of politics and rivalry among our supposed leaders. It’s only late last year that the ruling Jubilee Alliance initiated the

process of forming a new party. It is the year of politicians’ hoping across political parties to chase the favourable political wave. The new political outfits will only be used as tools of elevation to tribal politics, probably one of the enemies of development. With much hype, the elected leaders will visit areas they have not before, initiate shoddy development programmes to woo voters and most often squander the remaining resources in the tax payers coffers.

— Nderitu K, Baba Dogo

Hope among locals as Garissa college re-opens Re-opening of the Garissa University College nine months after a terror attack that left at least 148 students killed has brought back hope to residents of North Eastern Region who had benefited from the institution. The government must now wake up and learn from the experience and put security measures to avert any such attacks. The institution’s closure was a victory for the Somali terror group alShabaab, which has resorted to using such attacks to instill fear among locals. Recently the Westgate Shopping mall re-opened after being refurbished following a similar attack and as we speak, it is in operation. With a new police post

constructed at the University, security is now guaranteed. Locals must also play their role by working hand in glove with the government to weed out terror sympathisers bearing in mind that such attacks only alienate them and the region and discourage development which is needed for the better living standards. We must also hail good gestures by Kenya’s true friends such as France and US who came on board to help the victims of the terror attack.

Terrorism is a threat to global peace and only unity of purpose will help in the fight against terrorism.

— Edwin Gitobu, Starehe

Law should be followed to curb liqour deaths

It is unfortunate that Kenyans continue to die as result of drink-driving, a recent case being the death of four teenagers in Nakuru. In a bid to curb more deaths, the National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) announced that there were plans to increase the legal drinking age from 18 years to 21 years. However, increasing

the legal alcohol drinking age will not solve the issue because even younger children below 10 years have access to alcohol with children arrested in a night club last year still fresh in our memories. It is unfortunate that even after the arrest and release of the children found in the nightclub, we are yet to hear of any charges against the club owners who allowed the

children in and went ahead to sell alcohol to them. Yet the law clearly provides for penalties on whoever allows children into a bar and sells alcohol to person under the age of 18 years. What needs to be done to curtail this menace is ensuring that the present laws are followed to the letter and any one going contrary to the provisions to face the full wrath of the law. —Anne

Ruto should explain his sources of income On Deputy President William Ruto’s lais spending, the Opposition is right to ask question to where he gets the colossal sums of money he dishes out across the country and his other sources of income.

If indeed Ruto is as generous as he wants Kenyans to believe, the question would be, why the generosity at the time he is the Deputy President? Ruto has been in the country too long before 2013, therefore it would be a white lie to people that his donations are as a result of philanthropy.

And to remind the deputy president, no one even the Opposition has questioned his generosity, what Kenyans want to know is the source of the money. His action is not only worrying but also illegal. Our laws prohibits public officers from conducting Harambees therefore the Deputy President is not an exception. If tangible answers will not be provided, Ruto’s action will justify claims by Cord leader Raila Odinga that Sh140 billion, part of the Eurobond loan was stolen by the government. — Bukende Stephen, Embakasi

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

14

SPORT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

SPORTS BRIEFS Pep confirms interest to coach EPL club Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he will manage an English team. Guardiola, who was in Kenya during the Christmas holiday, is highly linked with a move to Etihad Stadium though Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are also possible destination for the Spaniard. A UK Tabloid, Express said Guardiola has agreed terms with City and he will be hoping to tempt Lionel Messi to join him at the Etihad. The former Barcelona boss recently announced he would not extend his contract in Germany when it expires at the end of this season. “I want to experience a new city and I want to work in England. I have several offers from England but I haven’t signed anything yet,” he said. “I have an opportunity to work in England. I’m at the right age and I feel it is the right move for me.

Somali FA boss appointed Cecafa Vice-President Somali FA president Abdiqani Said Arab has been appointed the new Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Vice President.

Abdigani was appointed to the position during the CECAFA Congress held last Monday in Khartoum, Sudan, replacing Ugandan Lawrence Mulindwa who served at the same position for two terms. Incumbent CECAFA President Leodigar Tenga (Tanzania FA President was nominated the honorary President.

Before his appointment, Abdiqani served as the body’s CECAFA executive committee member for five terms with his last reelection taking place last September where he also wrote history as the only executive member to retain his position in the past election.

Being the most experienced member in the executive committee, the entire Cecafa Executive led by Mutasim Gafaar and Secretary Genera Nicholas Musonye endorsed and ratified Abdigani to take over with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, Zanzibar will host the Kagame Club Cup while the Senior Challenge Cup will be held in Sudan. Sudan finished fourth in the last edition held in the neighbouring Ethiopia.

This is in line with CECAFA’s five- year strategic plan that will put emphasis on youth/women football and technical development.

As a start, Uganda will stage the inaugural women’s Under-17 and senior women’s Championship this year, while Burundi will host the men’s Under-20 event.

Ali predicts trouble if he loses Fifa election Fifa presidential candidate Prince Ali of Jordan says it will be a “catastrophe” for world football body, Fifa if he does not succeed Sepp Blatter. Prince Ali, 40, believes he is the only man standing for the post who can restore Fifa’s image after numerous corruption allegations.

He said the election on February 25 is Fifa’s “last chance to get it right”. Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale are also contesting. Prince Ali ran against Blatter in the last election in May, but withdrew after losing 133-73 in the first round of voting. Blatter, president since 1998, subsequently announced his intention to stand down and has since been banned for eight years following an investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee.

“It would be a catastrophe for the organisation if things do not go the right way,” said Prince Ali. “Having talked to national associations across the world, they do recognise that this is an incredibly important moment in the future of the organisation.

Ex-champion, Irvine retires from cycling

Ireland’s former world champion Martyn Irvine has retired from competitive cycling after failing to qualify for the Rio Olympics this summer. The 30-year-old became the first Irish cyclist to win a world track title in 117 years with victory in the scratch race in Belarus in 2013. Irvine also won a World Cup gold in Manchester in the same year.

“Missing out on the Olympics is a big part of it and I fell out of love with cycling,” said the Northern Irishman. He added: “The passion to train and put all that time into it has gone. I would just be wasting my time if I carried on.” Irvine secured silver in the individual pursuit in Belarus an hour before his triumph in the scratch event at the 2013 World Championship. It was a rollercoaster year for Irvine, who also won silver in the points race at the World Championships and a European bronze medal in addition to sustaining a couple of injuries. A month after his Belarus triumph, Irvine suffered a leg fracture during the Tour of Taiwan road racing event later in 2013 sustained leg muscle injuries at a track event in Belgium.

NEW JOB: Somali FA President Abdiqani Said Arab with FIfa senior manager for Africa development Zelkifli Ngoufonja. Abdiqani has been appointed Cecafa vice President.

Volleyball lovers turn hit on KVF after team fails to honour Olympic fixtures Local Volleyball Lovers have expressed their disappointment after Kenya men’s team bowed out of the Olympics qualifiers.

Kenya failed to travel to Congo Brazzaville for the qualifiers due to financial constraints. The women’s team which is sponsored by the National Oil Corporation of Kenya will however travel to Cameroon for the feminine qualifiers.

Signs of the team not honouring the event was up as early as November when the team broke

camp earlier than their female colleagues whose championship is still a month away.

But yesterday, some retired and current player and the fans took to the social media to castigate Kenya Volleyball Federation for what they termed as ‘gender biasness’ Former men’s national team head coach, Geoffrey Omondi who guided the team to the African Games qualifiers was the first person to shoot at the direction of KVF.

“It’s unfortunate that men’s volleyball in Kenya continues to dwindle. Who will rescue the boy child? Posed Omondi who is also the federation’s coaches’ commission chairman.

“A very sad day for volleyball lovers in Kenya, who will stand in the gap for the boy child?” lamented Lewis Ngugi in a public Forum Volleyball Page known for advocating for positive growth in Kenyan Volleyball.

Francis Kang’ech, who resides in the US added his voice to the

conversation “Then You wonder why this is happening to the boy child? There’s nothing or anything for the boy child!! It is what it is.”

KVF, however turned the hit on the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) for failing to provide the money to send the team to Congo games that serves off officially today.

NOCK on their side defended themselves, saying their mandate is to prepare the team (s) that has already qualified for Olympics and not a qualifier.

England’s early Euro exit will be catastrophic: FA England will “ shoot” themselves if the Three Lions fail to progress from their group stages of Euro 2016.

Roy Hodgson’s side have been drawn alongside Wales, Russia and Slovakia for the tournament in France, which starts on June 10.

English FA President Greg ​Dyke said England must get out of the group failure to which “we’ll all shoot ourselves” “We’ve got to get out of that group,” said Dyke. “If we don’t, that really is bad news for English football.”

Dyke added he believes England can win the World Cup again “one day soon”.

The 68-year-old was speaking at the start of a year of events to mark the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 World Cup success and he said the “building blocks are in place” to emulate that achievement.

“We owe it to a generation of teenage dreamers to show we can do it again,” he added.

“The FA is the richest FA in the world, the most income. The FA has to take some of the blame.

“We should have won a tournament in the last 50 years. We haven’t. But we will win in the next 50 years, hopefully long before.”

England are ninth in the Fifa world rankings and have not gone past the quarter-finals of a World Cup since 1990. They went out of the 2014 World Cup without a win, but Dyke stood by Hodgson.

England won all 10 of their Euro 2016 qualifiers and progress from the group in France “should not be the definition of success”, added Dyke.

Dyke said: “It is important to remember and pay tribute to each and every player in the final and also in the squad.

“We hope the celebrations cement the ‘66 winners their place in history and hope a new generation will hear their story and be inspired by it.”

Dyke said a decision on whether to extend his three-year contract - which expires in the summer - will be made in the coming days.

One of the aims of his tenure has been to increase the number of English players in the Premier League, with the objective of seeing England win the World Cup in 2022.

He added: “It is ridiculous. The figures in terms of the numbers of kids who don’t make it out of academies, who just disappear, is quite frightening.

SPORT 15 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

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Wayne Rooney of England celebrates scoring the opening goal during the EURO 2016 Qualifier between England.

IAAF to double anti-doping budget to Sh545 billion International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will double the antidoping budget to Sh545 billion as part of its plan to rebuild trust in athletics.

Athletics has been marred with numerous allegations of use of banned substances by Athletes with Russia leading the pack.

Russia has been barred from world athletics for alleged involvement in widespread doping while Kenya has been put on notice.

As at last year, IAAF Anti-Doping

budget stood at Sh203 billion and it seems doubling this figure will help reduce the number of doping cases in the organisation which has only 10 personnel at the Medical and AntiDoping Department.

The body has also been hit by graft allegations, mostly centered around doping violation. Former IAAF President Lamaine Diack is the subject of a police investigation, while IAAF official Nick Davies has stepped aside over a separate matter.

Locally, Athletics Kenya (AK) President Isaiah Kiplagat, his deputy David Okeyo and former treasurer Joseph Kinywa are serving suspension by IAAF on graft allegations.

President Sabastian Coe also said IAAF will appoint a new chief executive by the mid this year besides establishing a separate integrity unit for athletics before this summer’s Olympics, and double the international testing pool of athletes to 1,000.

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xnews |wednesday, JanUaRy 6, 2016 | www.x254.co

VOLLEYBALL LOVERS TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO CASTIGATE KVF AFTER TEAM FAILS TO HONOUR OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS OVER LACK OF CASH

Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho on the ground after suffering a hamstring injury during their Capital One semi-final match against Stoke at the Britania Stadium last night. Reds also lost Dejan Lovren to hamstring injury.

Liverpool hold a precious advantage going into the Capital One Cup semi-final return leg after Jordon Ibe’s goal gave them victory over gritty Stoke City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side take the lead to Anfield for the return fixture on January 26 despite losing influential midfielder Philippe Coutinho and defender Dejan Lovren to hamstring injuries before half-time.

Ibe, on for Coutinho, struck at the far post in the 37th minute after clever build-up work by Adam Lallana and Joe Allen.

Stoke failed to reproduce the form that has brought them home wins against Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United this season and, when they did force an opening, Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet saved well from Glen Johnson and Joselu.

Substitute Jon Walters wasted their best chance deep into stoppage time and Liverpool are now favourites to meet either Everton or Manchester City at Wembley.

It was another example of the

two-faced nature of Liverpool’s performances under Klopp since he arrived to succeed the sacked Brendan Rodgers early last October.

This display, full of steely resolve and the incessant pressing Klopp demands, was more akin to the outstanding away victories at Chelsea (3-1), Manchester City (4-1) and the 6-1 win at Southampton in the quarter-final.

And yet Klopp has still had to suffer the frustration of Liverpool barely turning up in losses at Newcastle United, Watford and West Ham. It was a huge night at the Britannia Stadium as Stoke’s players attempt to write their names alongside those who famously won the League Cup for the Potters against Chelsea at Wembley in 1972.

And anticipation had been elevated by the impressive form shown by Mark Hughes’ side, a potent blend of silk and steel that arguably had them as favourites before the game.

But the game turn so disappointing after 90 minutes for the hosts as Liverpool appeared to stun them from kick-off by pressurising them into mistakes, and they

p14

simply never recovered enough to build up a head of steam.

After young Belgian striker Divock Origi went lame in the Boxing Day victory against Leicester City at Anfield, Klopp pointed out in colourful terms that “hamstring” was his least favourite word of 2015.

It is not shaping up any better in 2016 as Coutinho and Lovren both limped off clutching their hamstrings before half-time adding to Liverpool’s already lengthy injury list. They may be joined by Kolo Toure, who ended the game clutching the back of his right leg.

And there is no doubt Liverpool are also suffering a run of bad luck that is filling up the treatment room at their Melwood training headquarters.

Martin Skrtel, as well as Origi, are nursing hamstring problem while James Milner has only just returned from a similar injury.

Joe Gomez and Danny Ings suffered long-term knee ligament problems before while Jordan Henderson’s heel problem is a recurrence of a problem he had earlier in the season. Man City face Everton tonight in another semis.

Injuries blight Liverpool Capital One win at Stoke

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