201603029 xnews

TUESday, MARCH 29, 2016 | www.x254.co

2

14

CS Matiang’i briefs MPs on exams cheating

The minister told parliament’s education committee that the information he was about to share was ‘too sensitive and could only be given in private’

NEWS

Victorious kamworor now turns focus to Rio Olympics after beating Mo Farah

harambee stars faces imminent caf ban over crowd trouble at nyayo

Alarm as Kenyans’ faith in key institutions wane

K

enyans have lost confidence in several key state institutions in what signals a worrying trend ahead of the General Election.

The latest poll released by Infotrak shows that the public confidence in institutions like the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Judiciary, Ethics and AntiCorruption Commission (EACC), Parliament and the Police have all declined putting Kenyans on a precarious situation ahead of the elections expected to be tightly contested.

“Half of Kenyans have no trust in IEBC. This seems like a precarious situation for the institution to be in with just 16 months to a general election,” Infotrak chief executive Angela Ambitho said as she released the results on Sunday.

Loss of confidence in such key institutions is remembered as the biggest factor that contributed to skirmishes witnessed in the postelection violence of 2007/2008 as those aggrieved ignored going to court because they did not have faith in the judiciary.

CONTINUED ON PAGE

2

Man hijacks plane over his ex-wife

Idependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Isaack Hassan and his vice Lillian Mahiri-Zaja raise booklets showing the road map to next year’s polls when they unveiled the documents in January. Latest opinion poll shows Kenyans’ confidence in the electoral body is fast diminishing.

www.x254.co

An Egyptian airbus was early today hijacked and diverted to Cyprus where it landed in the Southern airport of Larnaca.

A total of 81 people were on board the plane that was flying from the northern town of Alexandria to the capital Cairo when the incident occurred.

The EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger said he was wearing an explosives belt.

But authorities have ruled out terrorism after Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters the hijack was not a terrorist incident.

The hijacker has been identified as an Egyptian national named Seif El Din Mustafa according to Egyptian presidential spokesman Alaa Yousuf. Earlier, they had named an EgyptianAmerican Samaha as the hijacker before revising it.

Mustafa hijacked the plane over his ex-wife, a spokesperson for the Cyprus Ministry of transport said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2

NEWS

Alarm raised over Kenyans’ waning faith in state bodies TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

From Page 1 And Ambitho said the Judiciary must be seen to be impartial and free to do its work as those aggrieved in the elections must believe that their cases if taken to court will receive a fair judgement.

But her poll findings indicate otherwise with some 61 percent of Kenyans surveyed saying they have little or no trust at all in the institution.

“The country must be confident that the judiciary when tasked with sensitive election petitions will administer fair justice. In this survey, other than the EACC, the judiciary is the second most distrusted public institution. 61 percent of Kenyans currently have little or no trust in the Judiciary,” she said.

A sample of 1800 respondents was interviewed in the poll that was conducted between March 6 and 10.

According to the poll, the public also registered their displeasure with parliament as 56 percent of the respondents have little to no trust in the legislature.

“The constitution must not be manipulated to suit selfish whims of politicians or government. 56 percent of Kenyans have little to no trust in parliament which is mandated with legislation. Parliament must work harder to gain public trust,” Ambitho added.

She pointed out that for elections to be free and fair, there must be

Matiang’i briefs MPs on cheating

Infotrak chief executive Angela Ambitho gestures while releasing the results of a previous survey findings. The latest opinion poll from Infotrak indicates that most Kenyans have lost faith in key institutions including IEBC.

freedom of speech and freedom to run political campaigns without fear of harassment or intimidation which can only be achieved if the Police and Judiciary are impartial and fair.

The poll though indicated that 59 percent of Kenyans have no trust in the Kenya Police.

Other key institutions like the

executive, the opposition, and the county governments were also urged to improve on their trust levels.

Those who have little to no trust in government stand at 45 percent while those who have no trust with the opposition stand at 52 percent.

According to the Infotrak chief, it is prudent for Kenyans to ask

themselves whether the country is prepared for a general election next year given the high levels of mistrust in the key institutions.

The media and the civil society groups remain the most trusted institutions due to their critical role in agitating for public good, the survey noted. sam_x254

Egyptian man hijacks passenger plane, diverts it to Cyprus over estranged wife From Page 1

Asked whether the attacker had been motivated by romance, President Nicos Anastasiades answered laughingly: “Always there is a woman involved.”

“We are doing our upmost in order for everyone to be released and safe,” he added.

Reports say the lone hijacker wants to talk to his estranged Cypriot wife, who was on her way to the airport.

The airline said most of the passengers on board have been freed.

EgyptAir said negotiations at Larnaca airport had resulted in the

release of all those on board, apart from the crew and four foreign passengers.

But Cyprus said only 49 passengers had been released.

This contradicted the Egyptian statement an hour earlier suggesting that only 12 people (five foreigners plus the crew) out of 81

Cypriot police patrols outside a fence behind which the hijacked EgyptAir A320 plane stands parked at a sealed off area of the Larnaca Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus today. The passenger plane from the Egyptian airline ‘EgyptAir’ was hijacked earlier the same morning and forced to divert. PHOTO/KATIA CHRISTODOULOU/EPA

were still on the plane.

“It seems that 49 passengers have been released. We are doing our utmost in order for everyone to be released and safe and to give an end to this unprecedented (incident).

In any case it is not something which has to do with terrorism,” Cyprus said.

More people have subsequently been seen leaving the aircraft. It remains unclear precisely how many people are still on board.

EgyptAir said the Airbus A320 was carrying 81 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo.

A senior Alexandria airport official said those on board the flight when it took off included eight Americans, four Britons, four Dutch, two Belgians, one Italian and 30 Egyptians.

“The pilot said that a passenger told him he had an explosives vest and forced the plane to land in Larnaca,” the Egyptian civil aviation ministry said in a statement.

Larnaca airport, on the south coast of Cyprus, has been closed and scheduled flights diverted elsewhere.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was today locked in a private session with Parliament’s Education Committee members to brief them on the extent of cheating in national examinations.

The CS told the MPs that the information he is sharing with them is “too sensitive and can only be given in a private session” before journalists were kicked out.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has prepared a detailed explosive report showing how teachers and officials of the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) infiltrated the system to leak examination papers to candidates.

It was also expected that the CS would brief the legislators on the proposed change of the 8-4-4 education curriculum, which will be determined in Wednesday’s National Educational Conference.

Last week, Interior Cabinet Secretary General Joseph Nkaissery ordered arrest of top officials of KNEC over rampant examinations leakage after the board was dissolved Thursday morning.

Nkaissery on Thursday ordered nine Knec officials who include Chef Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu to be arrested immediately if they don’t present themselves to the police.

According to Nkaissery, the officials had allegedly participated in destroying the education future of thousands of students and needed to be held accountable.

Others facing arrest are Senior Deputy Examinations Secretary Ambia G. Noor, Deputy Secretary for Security Maundu Mantenzawa and Principal Examinations Secretary Thomas McKenzie.

Also in the list is Senior Deputy Secretary for Reprographics Sarah Majani, Senior Deputy Secretary Bobby Nyagah Mwai, Senior Deputy Secretary for ICT Geoffrey Gitogo, Principal Supply Chain Manager Michael Ndua and Deputy Secretary Richard Mwangangi.

According to Matiang’i the KNEC Board was disbanded after evidence showed that the officials were involved in the cheating menace in schools.

Former University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor George Magoha was appointed to be the chairman of the examinations council as part of measures to redeem its dented image.

Matiang’i also said that the government will bring to account everyone who has been involved in the leaking of national examinations that has left more than 5,000 students without national examination certificates.

MORE ON THIS STORY www.capitalfm.co.ke

NE WS 3 NEWS IG Joseph Boinnet calls for continued vigilance from public Police have urged the public to remain vigilant even after the Easter holidays.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet (pictured) has lauded the public for working closely with security agencies in maintaining security in the country, particularly during the Easter Holidays.

He however, said the same spirit should be maintained even after the holidays which went incident free.

“It is not just about Easter, let the cooperation continue even beyond the holidays to keep our country safe,” Boinnet told Capital FM News on telephone.

No major incidents were reported countrywide during this Easter period due to increased security surveillance in the wake of terror threats.

The police chief had announced tough security measures last week after twin terror attacks in Belgium where more than 30 people were killed and many more others wounded.

tuESday, MaRCH 29, 2016

MP to move to court over planed Mau forest excision Narok North MP Richard Moitalel ole Kenta (pictured) has threatened to go to court to stop the planned excision of 17,000 hectares of Mau forest by the National Government to settle landless people.

The legislator is claiming that powerful individuals whom he did not name within the Jubilee government are working in cohorts with Narok Governor Samuel Tunai to grab the community land for personal use.

“The President does not have powers to alienate community land. Let them come out and clearly say who the beneficiaries are. Let Mau be left alone, these are normal land grabbers who are out to grab this land,” Moitalel told journalists at Parliament Buildings.

Moitalel said he will do every-

thing within his powers to stop the planned hiving off of part of the forest land which is a water catchment area for many rivers.

“We will go to court to challenge

Governors oppose attempts to revert ‘water function’ The Council of Governors (CoG) has declared that it will thwart any attempt to revert the water function to the National government.

Council of Governors chair Peter Munya (pictured below) said that they would oppose any amendment to the Water Bill that is currently before the National Assembly.

Munya said that they will not allow any efforts by the National government to derail devolution by mutilating the Constitution. “I and other CoG members will go to court if the National Assembly passes a law taking back the water function to the national government. As county governments, we have had a lot of success in starting water projects for people who have no water for domestic, agricultural and commercial use,”

said Munya after attending church service on Sunday at the Nchhui Methodist Church in Tigania East sub-county, Meru county.

He said that the devolved units had proven they could handle the function, and any attempt to take it away from them would be illegal and malicious.

However, Munya noted that the only challenge counties faced was lack of funds to carry out the function.

During the 2016 World Water Day celebrations, Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation said that his ministry would embark on reforms including a new Water bill to help the ministry deliver on its mandate of providing safe and clean water to citizens.

CS Wamalwa said that the reforms would not only strength-

this decision, we are ready to go to any length to protect our land.The Maasai community will never accept hiving off of their land by grabbers,” he said.

The planned excision has also been opposed by various bodies including International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Central Organisations of Trade Unions (Cotu) among others.

In a Press statement, ICJ said it had reports that the government wanted to take some portion from Mau Forest to resettle squatters in an area that was already the subject of litigation in court by the local Ogiek community claiming allowing such allocation would continue a dangerous habit of forced evictions.

Cotu on the other hand criti-

cised plans to excise part of the Mau Forest to resettle the landless terming the plan “retrogressive, selfish and an effort to erase gains made in environment conservation.”

“Reports on the decision by the Cabinet to approve the excision of 17,000 hectares of Mau Forest land to be given out to individuals that have illegally occupied the forest over the years are disturbing and pose the biggest threat ever to Kenya’s environmental conservation efforts,” Atwoli said in a statement.

He noted State should be aware that allocating such huge chunk of the forest to individuals will spell doom and an end to Maasai Mara National Reserve that earns the country billions in revenue. @hillary_x254

Now everyone can drive

en the capacity of the ministry but would also create employment opportunities for citizens.

However, he has said that legal issues around the supply of water amongst counties had emerged, hindering the government’s commitment to supply accessible and affordable water to the cities.

“Legal issues are continually emerging in the sharing of resources among counties, water is a major resource. For instance, the law now demands that we first deal with Murang’a that supplies Nairobi with water,” he noted. The Water Bill, 2016 demands that the ministry of water and county governments that where water originates, to deal with their local water problems before providing it to the city residents.

Now you can pay by mpesa securely Hotline: 0704773300 www.rockyschool.co.ke

@hillary_x254

Hospital cellings are boring.

Drive Safely!

4

NEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

ANC wants pollsters regulated

The Amani National Congress (ANC) party now wants to petition parliament to regulate opinion polls in the country.

The Musalia Mudavadi-led party made the announcement just a day after the latest opinion poll by Infrotrack indicated that only 0.5 percent of Kenyans would vote for Mudavadi if elections are held today. And the party has expressed anger at the survey findings terming Infotrack a biased, inconsistent and dishonest pollster

who has become ‘a gun for hire’. The party now wants laws to regulate the pollsters saying there is need to ensure such opinion shapers do not fall prey to ‘well-crafted schemes’ meant to delude voters.

“We wish therefore to take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest terms the tilted opinion polling by Infotrack as the work of a magician,” ANC Secretary General Godfrey Osotsi said yesterday. “It is the work of political propagandists

and ethnic hatchet-men on a mission to politically blackmail and brainwash Kenyans to abandon electoral issues for 2017 general elections,” he added.

Mr. Osotsi claimed that the pollsters had scarified their social responsibility for money from political mafia, who he alleged to have commissioned the survey to strategically stem off democratic competition from other credible contenders.

“We have reliable information that pollsters are on (financial) instruction

from their sponsors to work in collaboration to crash any competition that detracts a two-horse invention for the 2017 elections,” he lamented.

He appealed to parliament to develop a free, fair and transparent electoral process and enact legal caveats on rogue, ethnic-driven and opaque political opinion polling.

“Unregulated political opinion polling is a great danger to the democratic gains this country has made” he said. @hillary_x254

Lending an ear....

Nairobi deputy Governor Jonathan Mueke listens to a pupil of Olympic Primary School in Kibra after he unveiled 20 new classrooms for use to ease congestion at the institution which boasts over 4000 learners. The classrooms were built by the county government in partnership with Britam Insurance.

‘More than 100’ Shabaab fighters killed At least 115 fighters of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab have been killed in heavy fighting with progovernment forces in northern Somalia, the regional government says.

A further 110 militants were captured during the fighting, the Galmudug government added in a statement.

There has been no independent confirmation of the claims.

The al-Qaeda-linked militants have drifted north after losing ground in southern and central Somalia.

Galmudug’s President Abdikarim Hussein Galaud said the security forces were determined to “wipe out” the militants, and to prevent them from establishing bases in stable parts of the north.

The militants were defeated after four days of fighting along Galmudug’s border with Puntland, the government statement said.

A few of them managed to flee into rural areas, it added.

The statement did not give casualty figures for pro-government forces.

The African Union (AU) has some 22,000 troops battling al-Shabab in southern Somalia, where it was formed nearly a decade ago to fight for Islamic rule.

In January, the militants overran an AU base in the southern town of elAde killing an unknown number of troops. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said about 180 Kenyan troops, which were part of the AU force, were killed in the attack.

Top stories from X News global partners Belgium Releases Man Japan PM welcomes Misidentified as Airport Britain’s uncomfortable US drops Apple case after cracking iPhone: Mugabe in push for Bomber: A noisy citizen journalist extremes in dealing with The has abandoned its attempt to sexual abuse: It can seem forceFBI African influence: Japanese Prime who reveled in verbal and physical fights in past Apple to help it break into the San as though Britons have only two attitudes to minister Shinzo Abe on Monday welcomed Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe to the country in a move likely to raise eyebrows in the west. Mugabe, whose country is subject to sanctions by the US and European countries over its tainted human rights record, was visiting Japan for the fourth time as president and holding his third meeting with Abe. Abe said he wanted to work with Mugabe, who chaired the African Union in 2015, to help with Japan’s push to reform the UN security council. “By closely coordinating with Mr Mugabe ... we wish to help promote reform” of the global body, Abe said in remarks carried by Jiji Press, referring to Mugabe as an esteemed African elder.

www.theguardian.com

public spaces, Fayçal Cheffou never quite fit the profile of a furtive underground operative for the Islamic State. Yet that was the role assigned to him when the Belgian authorities announced that he had been charged with terrorism and the Belgian news media identified him as the “third bomber” at Brussels Airport in last Tuesday’s attacks. But now it looks as if the police got the wrong man, or at least lacked enough evidence to hold him. Mr. Cheffou was released on Monday just a few hours after his arrest with the authorities acknowledging that the evidence was not as strong as they had thought. www.nytimes.com

paedophiles. One, the kind of cosy hypocrisy which helped Jimmy Savile, a television personality, abuse perhaps 400 children in the 1970s; the other, an incoherent hysteria which led a mob, in 2000, to daub “paedo” on the house of a hospital paediatrician. As Britain’s police seek to right long-ago wrongs, they are struggling to find a middle ground.

The explosive revelations surrounding Savile, following his death in 2011, kicked off three major investigations into past incidents of child sexual abuse. The largest, Operation Yewtree, has so far made six arrests which led to convictions. Yet the project has also been beset by blunders. www.economist.com

Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, after it found another way to access the device’s contents without the company’s help.

The move ends a high-stakes stand-off between the iPhone maker and the US government but leaves unresolved the wider issue of how far tech companies should be required to modify their products to aid law enforcement.

In their respective statements, the Department of Justice left open the door to future legal clashes with Silicon Valley over encryption and data security, while Apple said it would continue to strengthen the protections built into its devices. www.ft.com

To enquire about digital advertising with these international brands, email julian@x254.co

FBI ends case as it breaks into dead shooter’s iPhone The FBI has managed to unlock the iPhone of the San Bernardino gunman without Apple’s help, ending a court case, the US justice department says.

Apple had been resisting a court order issued last month requiring the firm to write new software to allow officials to access Syed Rizwan Farook’s phone.

But officials on Monday said that it had been accessed independently and asked for the order to be withdrawn.

Farook and his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino in December.

They were later shot dead by police. US officials said Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State on social media on the day of the shooting.

Last week, prosecutors said “an outside party” had demonstrated a possible way of unlocking the iPhone without the need to seek Apple’s help.

A court hearing with Apple was postponed at the request of the justice department, while it investigated new ways of accessing the phone.

At the time, Apple said it did not know how to gain access, and said it hoped that the government would share with them any vulnerabilities of the iPhone that might come to light.

A statement yesterday by Eileen Decker, the top federal prosecutor in California, said investigators had received the help of “a third party”, but did not specify who that was.

Investigators had “a solemn commitment to the victims of the San Bernardino shooting”, she said.

“It remains a priority for the government

FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on ‘The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy’, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on March 1, 2016. The FBI has now dropped the case after it successfully cracked the encryption on the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino in a December shooting spree. PHOTO: SHAWN THEW/EPA

to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with co-operation from relevant parties, or through the court system when cooperation fails,” the statement added.

Responding to the move, Apple said: “From the beginning, we objected to the FBI’s demand that Apple build a backdoor into the iPhone because we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent. As a result of the government’s dismissal, neither of these occurred. This case should never have been brought.”

The company said it would “continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated”.

An Israeli newspaper last week reported

that data forensics experts at cybersecurity firm Cellebrite, which has its headquarters in Israel, are involved in the case.

Cellebrite told the BBC that it works with the FBI but would not say more.

Its website, however, states that one of its tools can extract and decode data from the iPhone 5C, the model in question, among other locked handsets.

The court order had led to a vigorous debate over privacy, with Apple receiving support from other tech giants including Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.

FBI director James Comey said it was the “hardest question” he had tackled in his job.

However, he said, law enforcement saved lives, rescued children and prevented terror attacks using search warrants that gave it access to information on mobile phones.

NEWS 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

You must do better, Obama tells media President Barack Obama called on journalists Monday to uphold higher standards in keeping voters informed about their elected leaders, saying at a press dinner in Washington that business demands had compromised news outlets’ ability to hold candidates to their promises.

Obama, whose own administration has stood accused of hampering journalists’ work through secrecy, said that tough questions and investigative reporting remained an essential element to the U.S. political process, which said was now too grim now to even be described as a “carnival.”

“When our elected officials and our political campaigns become entirely untethered from reason and facts and analysis, when it doesn’t matter what’s true and what’s not, that makes it all but impossible for us to make good decisions on behalf of future generations,” Obama said at the awards dinner for the Robin Toner prize, which honors the late New York Times political correspondent.

“It threatens the values of respect and tolerance that we teach our children and that are the source of America’s strength. It frays the habits of the heart that underpin any civilized society,” he said.

Obama, speaking to a room of journalists, didn’t quite resort to scolding during his remarks. But he was firm in his assertion that journalists must uphold a higher standard when reporting on presidential candidates.

“A job well done is about more than just handing someone a microphone. It’s to probe and question and to dig deeper and to demand more,” he said. “The electorate would be better served if that happened.”

xnews | Tuesday, MARCH 29, 2016 | www.x254.co

BUSINESS

Healthcare to get slice of Sh426 million USAid grant Kenya’s healthcare sector is set to receive part of a Sh426 million grant that is part of an initiative aimed at accelerating innovative solutions to prevent maternal, infant deaths in the hardest to reach regions of the world.

According to a report from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), approximately $4.2 million (Sh426 million) in awards will be used to fund the drive.

The initiative, dubbed: Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, has already announced three new award nominees in its fifth global call for groundbreaking solutions to protect mothers and newborns during their most vulnerable hours.

These awards include two transition-to-scale awards worth approximately $2 million each (Sh202 million), which will support innovators with demonstrated proof-of-concept in transitioning their solutions towards scale, and one validation grant of approximately $250,000 (Sh25.3 million) to support the introduction and validate the effectiveness of the innovation to reach proof-of-concept.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) and global organisation, Partners In Health (PIH), were nominated for

According to a report from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), approximately $4.2 million (Sh426 million) in awards will be used to fund the drive. the two transition-to-scale awards.

EGPAF will develop a model for national scale-up of the lifesaving ‘Pratt Pouch’ in Uganda, an innovative delivery method to provide HIV prophylaxis to babies and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. PIH will transition its successful quality improvement model to seven new, high need districts in Rwanda.

Receiving a validation grant, the University of Washington will develop a business model to sustain and scale ‘Mobile WACh NEO’, a virtual communication system that connects mothers

with health care providers in Kenya.

“In 2015, Kenya reported over 60,000 maternal and neonatal deaths, many of which were preventable with access to adequate healthcare,” said USAid in one of its recent reports.

In response, The University of Washington designed Mobile WACh NEO, a unique mobile health platform that enables a remote provider-patient relationship, to provide crucial health information at critical times for pregnant and postpartum women.

Country signs Sh549 billion Standard Gauge Railway deal The government has signed a deal with the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) valued at Sh549 billion for the construction of the NaivashaMalaba Standard Gauge Railway line. This agreement falls under the Kenya Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Developments Project. The deal follows the Cabinet’s approved signing of commercial contracts between Kenya Railways and China Communications Construction Company.

The four commercial contracts for the development of the four elements of the project include NaivashaKisumu, KisumuMalaba, Kisumu Port Development and Modernization and expansion of the Inland Container Depot at Embakasi in Nairobi. Kenya is constructing a Standard Gauge Railway between Mombasa and Malaba as part of the East African Community protocol for the development of an SGR connecting

the port of Mombasa to Kampala, Kigali and Juba. The entire network is supposed to be in operation by December 2018 and member states are working towards meeting the timelines of the directive.

The first phase of the project from Mombasa to Nairobi is 75 per cent complete, and will be finalised in June 2017 while the second phase of the project from Nairobi to Naivasha is set to begin in June this year.

Phase 2 (Nairobi-Malaba) has been divided into three sub-phases as follows: Phase 2A Nairobi-Naivasha Phase 2B Naivasha- Kisumu including the development of a new high capacity port at Kisumu and Phase 2C Kisumu-Malaba.

The government has secured a loan from the Government of the Peoples Republic of China to support the development of Phase 2A. The total contract price for this section is US$ 1.5 billion (Sh150billion).

“Mobile WACh NEO offers tailored support from a skilled provider during the most vulnerable period for mothers and babies in three strategic domains: facility delivery planning, contraceptive decision support, and clinical assessment of newborns and their postpartum mothers,” explained the organisation.

“Initial testing revealed a significant uptake in family planning, increased engagement during high-risk periods, and a benefit to reducing neonatal mortality,” added the report.

Dennis_x254

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

MEAN 101.5248 144.0578 113.8125 6.6541 33.2924 21.5416

BUY SELL 101.4283 101.6212 143.9039 144.2117 113.6922 113.9328 6.6456 6.66626 33.2116 33.3733 21.4719 21.6113

Tatu City sells 150 residential plots as project kicks off The development of Tatu City, one of Kenya’s ongoing initiatives aimed at spurring regional growth, has hit high gear after the project’s management team announced the sale of up to 150 residential plots.

The Tatu City management says some 2,500 acres are under development, where they have already made 44 leases. Furthermore, 13 firms, including Dormans Coffee, Bidco oil Refinery Limited, Unilever and Kim Fay, which it is set to construct a new production facility, have sealed deals with the Tatu City team.

It has emerged that the development of Dormans’ processing plant is currently underway.

The facility, which will sit on a 10-acre piece of land, will include the company’s corporate headquarters as well as processing, packaging, warehousing and trading facilities capable of handling more than 15,000 tonnes of coffee per year.

When the facility is fully built, close to 200 Dormans employees will work at Tatu Industrial Park.

Project Country Head Nick Langford says Rendeavour, the company owning the land intends to use Sh2.2 billion in the next two years in undertaking various projects.

“We have about 500 people working on various projects; in two years time, we will create thousands of jobs,” he explained.

He said the city will have shopping malls, education and religious institutions and some 30,000 visitors per day. Langford was speaking during a site tour of the project based in Kiambu County on Thursday, where Tatu City CEO Anthony Njoroge said bulky infrastructure undertaking is already complete of a Sh2.2 billion sewer system and the road network..

Big win as Nairobi to host global entrepreneurship boot camp

Nairobi is set to become the first African city to host the Entrepreneurship School, an international boot camp for young entrepreneurs in early April.

Participants will have a chance to engage with top and successful entrepreneurs including Comcraft founder Manu Chandaria and Joanne Mwangi, the founder of PMS Group.

Think Young, a Brussels-based think tank that focuses on young entrepreneurs, will host the event from April 4 to 8 at iBiz Africa, Strathmore University Student Centre.Think Young founder Andrea Gerosa says that the decision to host the forum in Nairobi is a response to Kenya’s growing profile as a global innovation and entrepreneurship hub.

“We are impressed by the growing passion for entrepreneurship amongst young people in Kenya,

by the daily engagement of our partners, and about the worldwide expansion of our school. In 2016 we are aiming to foster more knowledge and inspiration about entrepreneurship with more entrepreneurship schools than ever before. We don’t know what the coming years will look like, but we are working harder and harder to fulfil our mission; create the first school without professors to inspire young people to be entrepreneurial.”

Since the first Entrepreneurship School in Brussels in 2011 with 27 participants, the initiative has expanded to now have events around the globe, with schools in Spain, Greece and Hong Kong, spreading important knowledge, experiences and inspiration for entrepreneurship around the world.

Think Young expects over 50 entrepreneurs from the around the

world to attend Entrepreneurship School 2016.

The Entrepreneurship School takes origins from the belief that the most effective teachers and inspirers of entrepreneurship are actual entrepreneurs. The School’s mission has been to actively engage students in a hands-on and interactive school where students can develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Participants are put into groups in order to be given a chance to create a business idea with people they have never met, giving them a taste of the entrepreneurial life.

The Entrepreneurship School aims to break the normal stereotype of schools by creating an informal and interactive environment. By presenting such entrepreneurs to young people, it provides them with the introduction they need to entrepreneurship. kevin_x254

BUSINESS 7

Kenya makes Africa’s top 10 list in MasterCard Global Muslim Travel Index TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Kenya has been ranked 9th in Africa among the most popular non-organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations in a grading sytem known as the MasterCard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2016.

Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa round up the top 5 African nations in the ranking. They are followed by Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and Mauritius respectively, rounding up the top 10.

The Index was based on a maximum score of 100.

Kenya scored 36 out of 100.

Malaysia was top globally

with a score of 64 out of 100.

The Index used several categories to determine an average score for each country. In the Index’s ‘Safe Travel environment score’ category, Kenya received a score of 62 out of 100.

East Africa’s powerhouse beat countries like Mauritius, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Uganda, out of a list of several other African Nations.

Though Kenya made it among the top 10 ranked countries in the continent, South Africa has received praise for maintaining its spot among the continent’s top five most popular non-Organisation

Strathmore inaugurates three humanity programmes Strathmore University has commenced three new degree programmes, their first Art-based courses.

Prof. Christine Gichure, the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, officially announced Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in International Studies, BA in Communication and BA in Development and Philosophy.

Statehouse Spokesman Manoah Esipisu who was chief guest at the event said: “As Strathmore diversifies curriculum, you are faced with an incredible opportunity to augment your reputation and consolidate your premier position by maintaining the same academic rigor.”

He was joined by Strathmore University’s Vice Chancellor Prof.

John Odhimbo and the French Embassy in Kenya deputy head of Mission Mr. Emmanuel Lalsomde.

This is the first time Strathmore, renown for accounting finance, law and technology quality higher education is launching Arts programmes.

Esipisu, an alumni of

Strathmore, said the university’s brand was well known locally and globally and is synonymous with quality. “The debut into the humanities is a welcome development that will go a long way to boosting quality of workforce in the communication, development and International affairs space.”

“In Africa, the celebration of birth is a special moment.

It is particularly so when triplets are involved,” Prof Gichure said.

She said although her school has been offering background foundational courses to all faculties since inception of the university, the debut into full-fledged Bachelors of Arts was a feat that would complete university’s multidisciplinary approach.

“The launch of these new programmes gives our institution new depth. This school has played a sterling role in achieving the goal of a well-rounded holistic education of individuals who are thoroughly knowledgeable in their fields,” said Vice Chancellor, Prof John Odhiambo. kevin_x254

of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations in the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2016. This makes it the second consecutive year South Africa has been ranked the fourth top destination in the non-OIC ranking for Muslim tourists, with a weighted score of 53.1 out of 100 up from 51.1 in 2015.

Kenya received a score of 36 out of 100 making it the 6th best country in Africa.

“We are pleased to see

South Africa once again included in the top five nonOIC destinations in the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index.

This ranking highlights the country’s focus on consistently answering the needs of the Muslim travel market,’’ said Mark Elliott, Division President for MasterCard, South Africa.

According to the study, there were an estimated 117 million Muslim visitor arrivals globally in 2015, representing

close to 10 percent of the entire travel market. This is forecasted to grow to 168 million visitors by 2020 representing 11 percent of the market segment with a market value spend projected to exceed US$200 billion.

Asia and Europe were the two leading regions in the world for attracting Muslim visitors, accounting for 87 percent of the entire market.

Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating & HalalTrip said the MasterCard-

CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2016 has now become the number one tool for destinations around the world to realign their strategies to reach out to the Muslim consumer.

“One of the biggest trends we are seeing is non-OIC destinations making a concerted effort to attract the Muslim tourist and they now represent over 63 percent of the destinations covered in the GMTI. enock_x254

8

BUSINESS TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Athi River Mining in Sh14bn investment, issues warning Athi River Mining (ARM) Cement is now in advanced discussions with an investor “in respect of an equity investment of $140 million” (Sh14.2 billion).

The firm said in a cautionary announcement issued today that the company and the investor are currently negotiating the final terms and documentation of the investment, which will be subject to several conditions, including, but not limited to final internal approvals of the investor and regulatory and shareholder approvals.

ARM said at least $110 million (Sh11.1 billion) of investment will be utiliSed to retire existing debt, balance for Company’s capital expenditure and new cement business.

The firm estimates that the transaction agreement will be finaliSed and executed by April 15.

ARM anticipates the investment to be completed in June.

“The Board of Management of the company believe that the investment would, if made, strengthen the financial position of the company as it executed its regional growth plans,” ARM explained in its statement.

“The shareholders of the company and the public are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the share of the company,” it added.

The cement maker said earlier this month that it was in talks with a foreign development-finance institution about taking a stake in the company and will seek to raise more

capital than originally envisaged Chief Executive Officer Pradeep Paunrana said in early March that the company, was in the final stages of concluding investment details with a potential but still-undisclosed investor.

The company’s latest announcement comes at a time when ARM has reduced its debts by about Sh1.2

payments of Sh150 million shillings per month, according to Paunrana.

About half of the company’s loans are denominated in dollars and include advances of $21 million (Sh2.1 billion) from the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank and $53 million (Sh5.3 billion) from the Africa Finance Corp. Meanwhile, the

the Nairobi Securities Exchange All Share Index, which has risen by 1 per cent.

ARM Cement is currently among alist of companies, including BOC Gases, Car & General, Sameer Africa, Crown Berger and Express Kenya, whose shares have fallen by more than a quarter this year.

Dennis_x254

Athi River Mining Officer Pradeep Paunrana billion shillings in theChief past Executive three company’s shares have droppedsaid 26 in early March that the company in the final concluding investment details with a potential investor. months andwas is continuing to stages make ofper cent in 2016, underperforming

Dodsal Group strikes big gas deposit in Tanzania Dubai-based Dodsal Group has made a major natural gas discovery in Tanzania.

The company now plans to invest an additional $300 million (Sh3 billion) in the East African country over the next 24 months to support exploration and production in Tanzania.

The company described the find as Tanzania’s biggest onshore gas discovery, saying it would boost the nation’s total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves to more than 57 TCF. Most of Tanzania’s gas discoveries have so far been made in deep-sea offshore blocks.

The discovery comes on the heels of a statement by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said that Kenya is keen on

exploring gas and oil deposits with China.

The Head of State was speaking when he held bilateral talks with Zhang Dejiang, the chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress.

Meanwhile, Dodsal Group’s discovery in the Ruvu Basin near Dar es Salaam is estimated to contain over 2.7 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas deposits with a value of $8 billion to $11 billion at current market prices.

In addition, a third Dodsal well at Mbuyu in Tanzania has found a large gas column which is estimated to contain up to 5.9 TCF of gas, the company said, adding that studies of the deposit were underway.

Batman v Superman rakes in Sh43bn at global box office

Blockbuster film, ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ has taken $424 million (Sh43billion) at the box office worldwide in its first five days despite poor reviews. The film, which brings together two iconic fictional superheroes for the first time on the silver screen, is a welcome success for Warner Bros.

The studio has been hit by a series of expensive failures including films such as ‘Jupiter Ascending’ and ‘Pan’ in recent months, the BBC reports. Batman v Superman, which is a DC Comics adaptation, cost more than $250 million (Sh25 billion) to make. It was Warner Bros’ second-highest international opening after ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’.

“There was a disconnect there between what critics wrote and the fan interest and the fan response,” Head of Distribution for Warner Bros, Jeff Goldstein said The film had been widely praised by fans after its first screening in New York in mid-March, but received less glowing reviews from critics.

Dawn of Justice opened on more than 40,000 screens in 66 markets, including 16,000 in China, 4,242 in the US, 1,701 in the UK and 1,696 in South Korea. It is currently screening in Kenya and is set to pull in more ticket sales in the coming weeks. The movie, directed by American filmmaker Zack Snyderdirected film, is the first of 10 DC Comics adaptations planned by Warner Bros Entertainment Inc - a company that produces film, television and music entertainment - over the next five years.

K-rep Bank injects Sh400m into IT in bid to boost profit K-rep Bank has said it will inject close to Sh 400m in Information Technology (IT) as part of the lender’s turnaround strategy to boost profit for the next financial year.

The move seeks to boost the lender’s profit for the next financial year after the bank recorded a Sh 520 million profit before tax for the period ended December 2015.

The MD attributes the drop to total operating expenses which grew by 15 per cent to Sh 1.8 billion, delayed loan payments among others.

Speaking during the release of its full financial year results for the 12 months ended December 2015, K-rep’s CEO & MD Titus Karanja (pictured) said the move will provide solutions for both micro and small enterprises.

“This injection, together with the institution’s planned investment in Enterprise and consumer banking are geared to spiral K-rep bank as a leading SME finance partner,’’ said Karanja.

“We shall continue investing in IT transformation as we will be unveiling a numbers of exciting technology partnership in the next few months,’’ he added.

He said the bank is mid-way through its business transformation agenda, one of the benefits of the recent capital injection.

However, the bank is optimistic that by 2019,

the institute shall have moved form a four tier to a two tier bank.

“Our vision is buttressed on innovative financial service solutions that will drive the growth of more than 2.2 million enterprises in Kenya,’’ he said.

“As a growing institution, we believe that we have that right footing to achieve up to tenfold growth in the next five years. This will be driven by growing our customer base through partnership, increasing our revenue streams and boosting our products and services,’’ he concluded.

Fusion Group is a hybrid finance house designed around the needs of enterprises in the emerging economies of East Africa with presence in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. We are focused on the opportunities in the region with five distinct business lines: private equity, real estate, money markets, pensions and insurance brokerage.

Our Business Focus REAL ESTATE We are an active investor and real estate developer with our priority sectors covering Residential- middle income; Commercial- grade A office and retail developments; Logistics and warehousing.

We invest in the form of equity, debt and joint venture partnerships

MONEY & CAPITAL MARKETS PRIVATE EQUITY Fusion offers opportunities in the money market through high quality We invest in Small and Medium Sized businesses across interest bearing investments, fixed deposits, Treasury Bills and Bonds in East, we are non sector specific and have invested the East African Market. With our money market, we seek toin maximize financial services, andFor FMCG. Africa. income, offer liquiditymanufacturing and preserve capital. investors looking for long-term capital growth, we offer opportunities in the Listed Equities across East Africa. We offer all these under segregated accounts

PRIVATE EQUITY We invest in mid-sized businesses across East Africa. We are non sector specific. We have recently invested in financial services, manufacturing, hospitality and media sectors. We offer strategic, business and professional support that aims to add value to the businesses.

PENSIONS FUND MANAGEMENT The key to a stress-free life in retirement is to provide for a sufficient after-retirement income. The earlier you put a retirement plan in place the more time there is for your savings to grow. In addition, the more funds you set aside now, the higher your capital at retirement.

We provide pension fund management services through Registered Occupational Scheme and Fusion Umbrella Retirements Benefits (FURBS) scheme for SMEs.

INSURANCE BROKERAGE We build synergies with our clients in taking care of their individual and corporate risks and availing access to the most competitive quotes in the industry. We offer a wide array of products to covers all insurable risks and guarantee peace of mind. Our products cover general insurance, employee benefits, liability insurance and specialties insurance.

Contact us on: ACK Garden House, Ground floor, 1st Ngong Avenue, Off Bishops Road P.O BOX: 47538-00100, Tel: +254 (20) 2710149 /53 /55 Email: enquirieskenya@fusiongroupafrica.com, www.fusioncapitalafrica.com

Published by Xtra Publishing Limited, Chancery Building, Valley Road. Printed by Standard Media Group, Mombasa Road.

ACCESS ACCESS

ART&CULTURE

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26th NOVEMBER 2014 TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016 WEDNESDAY 26th 2014 TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 222015 2016 NOVEMBER

aboutLove

If you don’t trust your partner, It wIll be dIffIcult to maIntaIn a lastIng unIon

The white lies you tell today, if quietly snuck into a marriage, could transform into a messy divorce down the road.

headbdbrhd abdb SIGNS YOU ARE NOT READY TO GET Being in a relationship can give you a feeling of walking on clouds.. All of these good feelings can make you think you’re ready to take a trip down the aisle, but are you really ready? Here are a few signs that you need to take a step back and rethink your decision.

You’re selfish A healthy marriage requires give and take. If you’re still hung up on your own needs and desires and don’t have room for anyone else in your life — other than you, yourself, and then you again — you might be better off alone. Why should someone spend their life only catering to you?

You have an unresolved past Emotional baggage must be

MARRIED

unpacked. One piece of luggage that must be handled: your ex. If you’re still not over a past love, it’s time to slow down. Also, if you have any ongoing issues like drug or alcohol addiction, or unresolved emotional wounds, it is imperative that you get help for this before asking someone to spend their life with you.

You like playing the field If you’re hesitant to throw out your “Single and Ready to Mingle” T-Shirt from college, that may be a sign you’re not ready for a permanent tan line on your ring finger. There’s nothing wrong with having a full and active dating life, just remain transparent with everyone you’re being full and active with.

I CRY BECAuSE OF MY RELATIONSHIP ALL THE TIME

You’re hiding a secret If you’ve got an army of skeletons in your closet, you have two options: either fess up or keep your skeletons locked down and don’t get married.

Your little secret will eventually turn into a big one. The white lies you tell today, if quietly snuck into a marriage, could transform into a messy divorce down the road.

You have doubts The doubts could be about your partner or about the relationship in general. Either way, trust is an essential component of any relationship.

If you don’t trust your partner, it will be difficult to maintain a lasting union.

HERE IS WHY THE FLYWHISK IS IMPORTANT A fly-whisk is a tool to swat or disturb flies. It is used as part of regalia in some cultures.

In Indonesian art, a fly-whisk is one of the items associated with Shiva. The fly-whisk is frequently seen as an attribute of both Hindu, Daoist, and Buddhist deities.

The fly-whisk is evident in some configurations of the Ashtamangala, employed in some traditions of murti puja, particularly the Gaudiya Vaishnava. It is also used as an accessory in the ritual aspects of folk performance traditions, especially folk-theatre forms like Palagaan where it can double as a prop.

Fly-whisks are in use in parts of the contemporary Middle East, such as Egypt, by some classes of society, e.g. outdoor merchants and shop keepers, especially in summer when flies become bothersome.

Those have a wooden handle and plant fibers attached to them. The more expensive ones are made from horse hair. In the eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent it is made from the tail-hairs of the yak.

Fly-whisks appear frequently in traditional regalia in many parts of the African continent.

This use has sometimes carried on into modern contexts: Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta carried a fly-whisk, a mark of authority in Maasai society, as did Malawian leader Hastings Banda, while South African jazz musician Jabu Khanyile also used a Maasai fly-whisk as a trademark when on stage.

The fly-whisk is one of the traditional symbols of Buddhist monastic hierarchy in China and Japan, along with the khakkhara, jewel scepter and begging bowl.

The fly-whisk in Buddhism represents the symbolic “sweeping” of ignorance and mental afflictions.

ARTSHOCK ROCK ART

T

here is always a way of bringing out the best in rocks. Be it in carving, painting or using them to build an abstract form of art.

With this in mind, Australian artist Elspeth McLean has an additional way to add flavor on to rocks through using Buddhist tradition of mandalas and symmetrical drawings to transform ordinary sea rocks into mesmerizing art. Her drawings on the rocks tell a story drawn from her life experience.

asK dr X Dear Phanice,

Dear Dr X,

I tell everyone I am in a great relationship. Granted, I love him and he loves me. But I cry often and easily and because of him. What can I do?

Phanice Help!

Wake-up, you’re not the first person in the world to go through tough times.

This is a huge sign. How do people miss this?.

So stop making excuses for why and take this as a sign you need to break up. And don’t tell me it’s because of your special circumstances — you’re unfulfilled in your job or in a depression or haven’t found yourself yet. Wake-up, you’re not the first person in the world to go through tough times. If you’re crying all the time because of your man, stop telling yourself it’s going to be better after the tough times. There will always be tough times. If you’re crying over little things like hasn’t texted you back, you’re missing the writing on the wall.

Your relationship sucks. Because if it were just the fact that he didn’t text you back, it wouldn’t make you cry.Dump him and move on!

Dr X

Send your agonising queries adhyambo@x254.co Published by Xtra Publishing Limited, Chancery Building, Valley Road.to Printed

by Standard Media Group, Mombasa Road.

OuR ROOTS

10

ACCESS

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

FASHIONscoop

@ BOss PRemieRe

lights, camera, action…

11

isabella Amara: Plusconfidence.

‘

The Boss’ is one of the most anticipated films of 2016 and the Easter Weekend saw the premiere of the thickplot celebrity donned film in California. As is custom, the event had to have a red hot red-carpet session as actors and actresses arrived for the premiere. See how they brought their Bossgame to the glam event.

Jacky murphy: Letting the blonde out.

@mercy_x254

filmlab

Kristen Bell: Sheer grey-scale.

BEST

Annie mumolo: Sleek in black.

Our rating: H H H

everybody want some

Our rating: H H H Rating: R Genre: Comedy Cast: Andrew Bachelor, Charlie Murphy, Mike Epps Runtime: 1Hr 30min.

After obtaining a great deal of money, the patriarch of a black family decides they should move from Chicago to a posh neighborhood in Beverly Hills.

However, they are soon terrorized by home intruders who want them out of the affluent community in this comedic spoof of the Purge films.

Rating: PG Genre: Drama Cast: Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalf, Ernie Hudson Runtime: 2Hr 1 Min

meet the

blacks

On the heels of his success with the groundbreaking drama Boyhood, director Richard Linklater shifts gears to sports for this comedy about a successful college baseball team that plays hard both on and off the diamond.

Rating: R Genre: Comedy Cast: Blake Jenner, Wyatt Russell, Zoey Deutch Runtime: 1Hr 56Min

melissa mcCarthy: Flowing with glam.

Kristen schaal: Simple yet catchy.

god’s not dead

Our rating: H H H

A high-school teacher fights for the right to discuss Jesus in her public classroom. This sequel to the 2014 faith-based box office hit God’s Not Dead is projected as a 2016 best seller given its previous global reception amongst Christians.

12

CLASSIFIED TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

EXCLUSIVE MENSWEAR Job VACANCY! Now From 2599/=

Now From 799/=

onwards

onwards

2 Formal Suits 2 Formal Trousers 2 Formal Shirts 2 Formal Jackets 2 Innerwear 2 Casual Shirts 2 Casual Trousers

2 T-shirts 2 Casual jackets 2 Kaunda suits 2 Knit wear 2 Accessories 2 Watches 2 Shoes

EARN 8500/= WEEKLY AS YOU ARE LEARNING

LORDS LIMITED

IN AN AUSTRALIAN COMPANY,LOCALLY RECRUITING PEOPLE OF FORM 4 AND ABOVE (28 YRS

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY

Now From 320/=

AND BELOW) IN A SALE,

onwards

MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION

No. 38, Moi Avenue, 0710 447 639, Mobile: 0727 887 777 Email: info@brandcity.co.ke Website: www.brandcity.co.ke

DEPARTMENT. UNION TOWERS, Ground Floor, Moi Avenue Nairobi Cell: +254 0722 571 172 info@lordskenya.com

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18 Your financial situation should be thriving and stable, and long-term educational goals may come to the forefront. Now you should be strongly focused on matters that are particularly important to you.

Work performed today toward those ends should be accomplished quickly and efficiently. Go to it!

0708129229/0763983531

..

WEATHERFORECAST

DAILYHOROSCOPES CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan19 Your effort and energy haven’t gone unnoticed. What you’re doing now has impressed those in a position to advance your interests. Positive changes in your career situation could well take place, even if what you’ve been wanting is a whole new career. Congratulations! Keep up the good work.

CALL NOW

BRANCH: THE GREEN HOUSE Ground Floor, Ngong Road Nairobi Cell: +254 710 270 293 EMAIL: lords.limited@yahoo.com

TUESday 29/3/2016

sunny

More sun than clouds

30

30

28ºC 35%

WEDNEsday 30/3/2016

6:34 am 6:40pm

28ºC 35%

6:34am 6:40pm

THURsday

29

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

Thurday’s Solution

PISCES Feb 19 - Mar 20 The ability to focus both these methods of perception into material reality is apt to give a boost to your career and educational efforts. It also could enhance your romantic life. Anything begun or completed today has an advantage. Try to look closely at this new tendency and make it last.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 19 Successes boost the strength of business partnerships; love relationships advance to the next level of commitment. This is a great day to get together with anyone close to you; your relationship is very likely to grow because of it. Enjoy your day.

Sudoku

l School Bags lTraveling & Office Bags l Suit Cases l Document Bags l College Bags l IPad Bags l Umbrellas l Shoes etc.

TAURUS Apr 20 - May 20 New discoveries regarding the benefits of certain nutrients, exercise programs, or other forms of alternative therapy could attract your attention. You might want to attend a lecture of some kind in order to learn more about it. You’ll probably stick with any new program begun now, so go for it.

GEMINI May 21 - Jun 21 Whether your preference is painting, music, drama, dance, or creative writing, if you commit now, you’ll probably continue with it. The practical arts of cooking, building, or interior decoration are also possibilities. If you begin with the idea of eventually doing it professionally, chances are you will.

FIND THE KEYWORD IN RED AND SMS IT TO 22333

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 21 If you don’t own a home but want to buy one, this is the time to start looking. Any investments made now, particularly in land, will probably be solid and apt to gain in value, although results might take some time to materialize. Carefully consider all contingencies before committing, however.

RINGTONES: 30 KSHS PER DAY Nipe Nafasi You will receive a sms “2 download. . . ”Go to this Glory to Glory link using GPRS or WAP & download your content.

LEO Jul 23- Aug 22 The communication should be loving and supportive, but practical matters like money, work, and personal habits could be discussed. You’ll probably find that you and your partner are more compatible than you thought. Move ahead, but with caution.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 21 This is a good time to do this, as your business and money sense are operating at a high level, and you’re likely to be savvier about finance than usual. You may take more time than you need, however. Remember not to beat it to death or you’ll lose your focus. Don’t be afraid to take breaks.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22 You may exert a mysterious appeal that in the 1920s was called “it.” Current and potential love partners may take a second look and be intrigued. Don’t be surprised if you attract admiring glances from strangers! This could make a big difference in your love life. Make the most of “it”!

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21 You might look at your living room or backyard and suddenly find yourself redecorating it in your mind’s eye. If you’ve wanted to start some sort of long-term project to improve your surroundings, this is the day to get started. You’ll not only attain your vision, you may surpass it. Have fun!

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You might spend a lot of time with your family today, Sagittarius, but you’ll also probably touch base with many others. At some point you might find yourself in the spotlight. You’ll feel especially fond of everyone around you and appreciate your good fortune. Enjoy your day.

Barua Muganga

KENYAN HITS! Dumbala Remix Msaidizi Fundamentals Mungu Baba Uwepo Wako Milele Dongo Dongo Ulibeba Sobei Cheiso Worship You Sambaza Defender Tosheka Kereka Ningwendete Queen Ahuirania Ti Mundu Ndirakurekie

KENRAZY Visita, Madtraxx, DNA & Jay A

GLORIA MULIRO KEN WAMARIA RUFFTONE & GSU MERCYLINAH MARION SHAKO GERALDINE ODUOR EUNICE NJERI EMMY KOSGEI BMF FT MERCY WAIREGI ALICE KAMANDE DADDY OWEN MOG DK KWENYE BEAT JOAN WAIRIMU LOISE KIM N.D GITHUKA BETTY BAYO & MR SEED SIMON

KEN4 GM4 KT4 RUFF4 LIN4 SHA4 GER4 EN4 KOS4 BMF4 KAM4 DAD4 MOG4 DK4 VAN4 LK4 GAK4 BET4 SIM4

Kinyukia Kahora

JOAN WAIRIMU

VAN4

Nanena Adonai Zawadi Sitalia Tena Bongo Lala Sitalia Tena Hatarudi Nyuma Mapenzi Solo Penzi Langu Matokeo Born Again Lingala Ya Yesu Fanya Kitendo Muziki Ni Dawa Makeke Kitanzi Miss Hizo Naona Mbali Nime Wasamehe Hakuna Silaha

Ex: HC4 to 22333

BAHATI DJ LAPOZE JEMMO & DENNO BEN GITHAE HADASSAH PAUL EMMA OMONGE MASSMASILYA LAURENT MUGISHO MR. BISCUIT SIMON KIDUM & JULIANI KIDUM NGANGALITO KIDIS GLORIA MULIRO EKO DYDDA PITSON BEN GITHAE RINGTONE JIMMY GAIT GLORIA M & WILLY P ALA C DENNO SOLOMON MUKUBWA SARAH KIARIE

TIB4 HC4 GON4 GIT4 WT4 JC4 HOB4 HOK4 JAG4 SIM4 DUM4 DUM4 LIT4 PIG4 GM4 KEB4 BOM4 GIT4 RING4 JG4 GM4 ALA4 GON4 SOL4 SK4

This is a subscription service. Cost per message is KSH30. Content Delivered daily. A Joining fee of KSH30 applies.

Phone must be WAP/GPRS ENABLED to download ringtones. Errors will be billed. To DEACTIVATE OR UNSUBSCRIBE, SMS STOP followed by the keyword i.e. STOP HC4 to 22333 or *100#. A deactivation fee of KES 30 will be charged unless passive deactivation is requested.Customer Support: 0711035333 or 0734488668 , SUN - FRI, 8:30AM - 6pm, SAT 9am - 5pm. or email: ke@smshelp.info.

PLAY 13 TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

CROSSWORD Across 1. Beating severely 8. Summer or Reed 13. Bacilli 14. Slot machine attribute 16. Requests earnestly 17. Small 18. Accumulated records 19. Bridge supports 21. Kitty cries 22. Sitcom with a horse 23. Suffixes with ballad and mountain 24. Personal ad letters 25. Earth mother goddess 26. Money or Murphy 27. Newspaper fillers 30. Modern mil. concern 31. Enthusiastic, as an attitude 33. Lures 35. Ab neighbor 36. Ceres or Pallas 40. Big aquarium performers 42. Fiber source 43. Audiologist’s concern 46. Bibliography abbr.

47. Art colony in New Mexico 48. Scammer, slangily

50. Top-level warning 52. Hostile intent 53. Salem’s state 54. Falls down, as a buiding 56. Toga alternatives 57. Spy for the U.S. 58. Stir up 59. Investment firm worker Down 1. Interdicted 2. Infomercial directive 3. Type of argument 4. Bread ends 5. Popular accts.

6. Insect egg 7. Type of bypass 8. Under sedation 9. Singles 10. Trawled 11. Got it down pat 12. Blood carriers 13. Ceiling support 15. ____ up (goofed) 20. Authentic 22. Month after avril 25. Chevy muscle cars of yore 26. Actor Morales 28. Cereal box nos.

29. Black, poetically 31. Hades watchdog 32. Mishap 34. Body of beliefs 35. Christie’s Belgian detective 37. Type of ski lift 38. Explicit art 39. Dorm leaders, for short 41. Slow symphonic movement 44. Words for the audience only 45. Not long ago 47. Keyed up 48. OK with Allah 49. Musical stop 51. Key’s partner 52. They give out PG’s and R’s 55. Sixty secs.

Wednesday’s answers

YOURSAY 2016 high temperatures should worry everyone Are Scientific dating methods accurate?

There couldn’t be a greater confirmation that the world is headed for the wrong direction. The worrisome rising temperatures are among the many pointers that there is more than meets the eye.

It has been unusually warm in recent months and now we know climate change is here with us. This is no longer the scientific phenomenon ignored in the past. The conservative who doubted the hypotheses about Earth’s climatic changes taking place are on the back-foot.

The heightened temperatures can still be felt at night when most people are indoors with adequate ventilation needed.

All this comes at a time when farmers are actively preparing land for the long rainy season that often starts in the second half of March.

Unfortunately, the same annual ritual of burning dry leftovers has been adhered

to as though the advice from agriculturalists was of no consequence.

Greenhouse gases have since the dawn of the industrial revolution in 1750 been responsible for the negative impact of atmospheric heating.

Uncontrolled destruction of trees around the world is, but one of the factors that has aided in global warming.

Forests have acted as sinks to carbon-dioxide which increased as a result of the burning of fossil fuels. Other widespread human activities interfered with the natural carbon-cycle balance.

The soil, besides forests, is another sink to 75 per cent of carbon found on land. Erosion, prolonged application of synthetic fertilisers and salinisation of the soil become harmful to organic matter. Carbon that was supposed to remain in safe storage escapes into the

atmosphere.

Of the five East African countries Kenya had the lowest percentage of land under forest in 2013. Somalia faired better with 10.4 per cent.

Destructive wild fires over the past two years must have reduced our forests from the acclaimed 7.6 per cent on the available records. The UN recommended minimum is 10 per cent.

Concern has been raised the world over. Australia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, said a few days ago that the battle against Climate Change is being lost.

Dr James Hansen, formerly working for NASA, has in collaboration with others prepared a new report which postulates that coasts will be overran by seawater in mere decades rather than centuries as earlier predicted.

—Peter Maina

Uhuru’s appointments ignored the youth The Jubilee administration used unemployment as one of the stepping stones to get to power which saw many youths support them but has turned against the youth in with all public appointments going to the retired lot.

They promised a million jobs but now it’s very clear the promised jobs have been turned to “kazi kwa wazee” It’s a pity to see billionaires who have the muscle to start their own businesses wanting to remain in public service way after their

retirement age, instead of giving way for the youth.

When Kenyan youths are wallowing in poverty, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are busy appointing rich and retired politicians back to public service.

Kenyan youths must wake up and make a wise decision in 2017, let the youth vie for political seats come 2017, and say no to being used as stepping stones for people to get to power.

By Raymond Mtetezi

A recent discovery of a new species of ancient human- Australopithecus afarencis fossils in Ngong hills Kantis Fossil Site (KFS), Nairobi is a fantastic achievement to scientists and Kenyan Archaeologists in particular. The archaeologists, led by Emma Mbua, an associate researcher from the National Museums of Kenya said the new human species is more than three million years old.

However, one thing that scientists have ever failed to indicate in their findings is that there is absolutely no truly accurate method of dating ancient things. The millions of years quite often assigned to fossils and organic materials are therefore assumptions and not proven dictums. Today, many different radioactive elements have been used, but the most famous absolute dating method is radiocarbon dating (carbon-14C), which uses the isotope 14C. This isotope, which can be found in organic materials and can be used only to date organic

materials, has been incorrectly used by many scientists to make dating assumptions for non-organic material on which the remains of ancient species are found. Many scientist run into inconceivable labyrinths to explain the half-life of 14C- approximately 5730 years, which is too short for this method to be used to date material millions of years and all are cognizant of this fact. We must remember that scientists need great time spans in order to validate their Theory of Evolution. They need not thousands of years, but millions and billions of years because they assume and teach that the earth is billions of years old.

By this, they will get the amount of time they need for evolutionary development. Therefore, these phenomenal dates are proposed for us to believe that the earth evolved over eons of time, and not created ex-nihilo in six days a few thousands of years ago according to Biblical accounts of origin. Phabian Jr

Let’s be cautious about disbanding the IEBC Calls the disbandment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have been on the rise of late with the justification for this seems to lie in the allegations that the electoral body fails the test of impartiality while also being mired in integrity issues.

The Cord coalition has incessantly called for its disbandment claiming that the commission could not be trusted to referee a legitimate election due to its preconceived leaning towards the Jubilee coalition.

The opposition has severally

lost IEBC flavour since the 2013 General Election to the last quagmire of the Okoa Kenya signatures.

To say the least, the Isaack Hassan-led commission did not meet its four million new voter target in the justconcluded voter listing drive, which they blamed on budgetary constraints from the National Treasury.

Some of its commissioners have been accused of complicity in fraudulent procurement of at least Sh4 billion electoral material dating back to 2008. There have been other issues around

Send your letters to news@X254.co | Letters will be edited for summary and clarity

the procurement of electoral material for the 2013 elections that was not entirely above board. The Opposition on the other hand has not been at ease with the IEBC after its contestation of the outcome of the 2013 General Election at the Supreme Court.

Granted, the IEBC has been struggling with issues to do with integrity that have refused to go away.

But disbanding it outright as recommended by the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee might not offer the best solution.

—Nderitu

14

SPORT TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

SPORTS BRIEFS South Africa beat Sri Lanka in T20 final tie

South Africa thrashed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in their final game at the World Twenty20. Sri Lanka reached 45-0 but then lost all 10 wickets for 75 runs to slip to 120 all out, with Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso and Farhaan Behardien each taking two wickets. Hashim Amla made an unbeaten 56 in a comfortable chase that an AB de Villiers six completed with 14 deliveries to spare. Both teams had already been eliminated. This was a horrible display from Sri Lanka, who arrived as the defending champions but leave having beaten only Afghanistan Without injured captain Angelo Mathews, their middle-order fell apart after openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal raced to 45 in 28 balls.

Left-arm spinner Phangiso was hit for 10 runs from the first two balls he bowled but, later in the same over, bowled both Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne in successive deliveries.

Kamworor turns attention to Rio after pipping Farah Geoffrey Kamworor has shifted his attention to the August’s Rio Olympics after he became the first man to beat British Mo Farah in five years in major championships.

Kamworor who fell at the start, but recovered

to win the IAAF world half marathon championship now eyes a double scalp over the Somali born-British in Rio, Brazil.

Kamworor and his compatriot Bedan Karoki played an audacious game of catch-me-if-you-

Belgian cyclist crash “unfortunate accident”

A motorbike crash which killed a Belgian cyclist Antoine Denoite was an «unfortunate accident», says his team during an emotional press conference. The 25-year-old was hit by the motorbike on Sunday after several riders came down in a crash as the GentWevelgem race passed through northern France. Jose Been, spokeswoman for the Wanty-Gobert team, told BBC Sport it was “not a case of the motorcyclist going too fast and causing the crash”.

Demoitie was taken to hospital in Lille, but succumbed to injuries later in the day. A French police inquiry is under way and the sport’s governing body, the UCI, is co-operating with the investigation.

Demoitie was among several competitors involved in a fall in the one-day race, which was won by world champion Peter Sagan. “The cyclists fell right in front of the motorcyclist who had no time to react and just hit them,” Beem said. “The motorcyclist is very experienced and has been in the races a long time. He is as grief-stricken as we are.

@elvince_x254 Geoffrey Kamworor crosses the finishing line during a past Tata Consultancy Service ‘Elite World Men 10K Bangalore. He beat World Champion Mo Farah to win Gold medal in the IAAF world half marathon championship in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday. PHOTO: JAGADEESH NV/ EPA

Butali in catch-up title race with Police

Butali Sugar Warriors must win their three games in hand to keep their Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) premier league title defence alive. The Warriors are currently five points adrift of leaders Kenya Police who are threatening their two year dominance since they changed name from Kisumu Simba after West Sugar injected millions into the club.

Butali, formerly Kisumu Simba though still have three games, including a return leg with the men in blue. They have 58 points compared to Police’s 63 who maintained the distance with their closest challenger following a 3-2 win over Pak Road over the Easter holiday fixtures. Butali also beat Green Sharks by a solitary goal over the weekend. United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) maintained tier grip on third despite playing a six goal thriller draw with Wazalendo.

can in Cardiff on Saturday to beat Mo Farah at a major championship.

But the trio will have a ‘repeat’ performance just in Rio with the Briton poised for a revenge when he comes up against the world halfmarathon gold and silver medallists on the track in his favoured territory of 10,000m and perhaps Kamworor also in 5000m after hinting that he could join the 5000m – at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in what could become one of the most eagerly anticipated regular clashes on the distance running programme.

“It’s what you guys have been waiting for, a challenge!” grinned Farah to reporters after gritting his way to a bronze medal at the IAAF/ Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016 in 59:59.

Farah hasn’t lost a major race in 10,000m since the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu and has won seven successive world and Olympic finals since then.

But, when talking about Kamworor, he generously acknowledged that he will probably be lining up in Rio alongside a phenomenal runner who was in shape to break the half marathon world record on Saturday, and nearing his prime at the age of 23.

“I think Geoffrey is capable of breaking the (half marathon) world record, for sure,” said Farah. “If he could run this pace in these conditions, he’s definitely capable of running a much faster time.

“I think the course was fast, and I’m sure Geoffrey will say the same thing, it’s quite a fast course even though there’s a little bit of uphill.

If the conditions were clear, he would have been closer to the world record.”

Kenya has not claimed the Olympic 10,000m title since Naftali Temu in 1968, their one and only win over 25 laps of the track. A similar plan to Cardiff where Kamworor and Karoki worked together to pull away from their rivals almost certainly has to be devised if Farah is to be beaten this summer, although Kamworor denied the Kenyan game plan in Cardiff.

Team Kenya that also won the overall team title returned back yesterday from Cardiff.

British Murray loses yet again at the Miami Open Britain›s Andy Murray suffered another heartbreak when he crashed out of a major tournament for the second time in less than two weeks.

Murray went out of the Miami Open as he lost 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-3 to Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, just a weekend apart after he crashed out in the third round at the Indian Wells on March 15 to world’s number 53, Argentine Federico Delbonis.

The Argentine overcame his nerves to score the biggest victory of his career, beating Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) in two hours and 46 minutes.

And in Miamai, Murray, 28, was on course for a place in the last 16 when he took the first set

on a tie-break. But Bulgarian Dimitrov, the 26th seed, came back to oust Murray, a twotime winner of this tournament.

Murray was 3-1 up in the third set of his match, but told BBC Sport “a lot of unforced errors crept into my game”.

He added: «Grigor played some good stuff too, but to lose your serve three times in a row from that position is obviously disappointing.”

Johana Konta, 24, needed just 34 minutes to take the first set against Romania’s Monica Niculescu to become the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals in Miami with a 6-2 6-2 win.

Konta will meet either Victoria Azarenka or

Garbine Muguruza for a place in the semifinals.

“I know it was 6-2 6-2 on the scoreboard but it felt like we had a lot of close games and I had to work hard for every single point,” she told BBC Sport.

Asked about becoming the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals, she added: “It’s a wonderful thing to have on paper and for other people to recognise that I am very much in the moment in this tournament and it’s not over for me.”

World number one and defending champion Serena Williams is out after losing 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-2 to Russian 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

SPORT 15 TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016

Kenya faces Caf ban, fine over Nyayo crowd trouble

Kenya could be banned by the Confederation Africa Football (CAF), following violence witnessed during Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations match against Guinea Bissau at Nyayo National Stadium.

Angry local fans caused about 30 minutes stoppage of the match, throwing stones and other missiles at the Guinea Bissau bench, and at the fourth official on the sidelines, following a disputed goal for the visitors.

Guinea Bissau won 1-0 to give Kenya little chance of qualifying for next year’s African Cup. CAF appeals board member Robert Asembo, however has downplayed the matter, saying the chaos witnessed during the match was of not of the magnitude that calls for a ban from future continental matches.

The CAF bat at worst can be forcing

Stars to play in empty stadium in future matches or banning Nyanyo National Stadium from hosting future games.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) could also be sanctioned for failing to control the crowd.

Harambee Stars were humiliated at home by the with a 77th minute tapin by Sanchez Semedo which Kenyan custodian Arnold Origi blocked, but the hesitant referee awarded the goal after the linesman allowed it.

Origi could also face CAF sanction due to his ‘violent’ conduct on the lineman which earned him a yellow card after he protested the goal.

The match was stopped for 33 minutes with the Zimbabwean officials hoping for calm as some fans engaged security in running battles.

When the match finally resumed, the fourth official indicated six minutes

additional time but Stars were unable to find the goal despite having only two defenders on the pitch.

Meanwhile, local soccer fans have called for the immediate resignation of Stars head coach Stanley Okumbi.

Okumbi has since blamed “dark forces” for his poor start as Stars head of technical bench having suffered two loses in a row.

The former Mathare tactician whose appointment is seen as a reward to cronies by FKF president Nick Mwendwa is increasingly becoming under pressure. With Stars’ next game in June against Zambia, Okumbi must rethink his team selection especially after being accused of calling out-ofform and inexperienced players from Kariobangi Sharks, a team owned by Mwendwa to the national team. @elvince_x254

UGLY SCENES: Fans jump over the stadium perimeter fence after chaos broke out during Kenya, Guinea Bissau Africa Cup of Nation qualifying match at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday.

GSU drop to placement matches after poor show in Egypt tourney Kenya’s General Service Unit (GSU) will play Wolaitta of Ethiopia today in the placement match at the ongoing Africa men’s volleyball club championship in Egypt.

The reigning Kenyan champions finished fifth in Group C with Wollaitta finishing sixth in Group B after the preliminary rounds to extend their poor record at the continental scene at Cairo Stadium Complex.

Meanwhile, Egypt’ Zamalek and compatriots Smouha will square it out in the quarter-final while Ahly meet Esperance in a repeat of the 2014 final.

Zamalek sailed through to the quarters after finishing second with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-15) victory against Police from Senegal while FAP cruised past Libyan side Ahly Beni Ghazi with a comfortable 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-21) win against expectations in a decisive encounter to determine the second qualifier with

Smouha.

Libya’s Swehly will face FAP of Cameroon with Geish battle it out against Espoir of DR Congo in the other match later today.

Swehly maintained their clean sheet as they claimed the fifth victory in a row against Congolese DGSP with (25-8, 2515, 25-9) win to improve their win-loss ratio to 5-0 with 14 points and the losers dropped to 1-4 in the 4th place.

Gendarmerie from Madagascar hammered Daim Hamad of Sudan 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-10) to finish third with 3-3, leaving the Sudanese team in the fourth position.

Ahly topped their pool after claiming their fifth win against Atletico from Cape Verde with a stunning 3-0 (25-9, 25-19, 25-11). They are yet to drop a set.

Atletico finished sixth with the number of wins after they finished equal to Douanes in the number of points.

Espoir confirmed the second quarter-

final ticket of the pool after they beat TGOM Gabon 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-19) to improve to 4-1.

Wolaitta (ETH) recorded the first win against Douanes (BUR) 3-2 (25-21, 2025, 25-19, 19-25, 15-13), but still at the bottom of the pool. TGOM came third, Atletico 4th and Douanes fifth.

Geish fought aggressively for 110 minutes to overcome Algeria’s Setif 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22) while Esperance claimed the second ticket after they trounced CSVB 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) to improve to 4-1.

Smouha (EGY) extended the Sudanese Nahda winless after they upset them with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-15) win.

Neighbours Nemostars from Uganda surprised Fanar (ALG) 3-2 (23-25, 1925, 25-23, 25-21, 15-6) in one of the day’s thrilling matches. @elvince_x254

tuesday, MaRCH 29, 2016 | www.x254.Co

Kenya faces caf ban over nyayo chaos

p15

England striker Daniel Sturridge wheels away in celebration after scoring in a previous match.

Coach Roy Hogson has said the Liverpool forward will be reinstated to the starting line-up today as England host Netherlands in a friendly match at Wembley.

PHOTO/EPA

Sturridge to return against Holland Daniel Sturridge will tonight make his first England start in 18 months against Netherlands at Wembley with Roy Hodgson urging both the Liverpool striker and Danny Welbeck that they must prove they have returned to full fitness over what remains of the domestic season if they are to make the squad for the European Championship finals the summer.

England have not won any of their last six meetings with the Dutch, drawing four and losing two, but they hope Sturridge will be in form to catapult them to victory.

Hodgson’s started their international friendlies that will see them play European giants Germany, Spain and France with a 3-2 win over Germany over the weekend.

Sturridge missed the entire Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with injury.

“No-one doubts his quality. His goalscoring record is unbelievable,” said his Reds teammate James Milner, who will captain England.

Hodgson is set to make changes from that squad that came from a two goals down to beat Germany 3-2, with keeper Fraser Forste certain to start. But Netherlands who will have Arjen Robben, one of three non-English players to score for both club and country at the

new Wembley have lost only one of their last 12 meetings with England, winning four and drawing seven. Robben scored a brace in their 3-2 in 2012.

The Three Lions manager, 68, refused to confirm whether Danny Drinkwater would start, saying the Leicester midfielder “might” make his debut.

Meanwhile, Spurs keeper Michel Vorm and Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel have been added to the Dutch squad.

The Dutch, who finished third at the 2014 World Cup, have not qualified for this summer’s Euro 2016 finals in France.

But Hodgson insists the squad is in fine form and is looking forward as they continue to prepare for Euro 2016. “We should be rightly proud of the win, but that moment of satisfaction has now passed,” said the manager.

The fact the Netherlands have suffered a lean period doesn’t alter the fact they have very good players and are a very good team.

“After the Germany game we don’t want a game that doesn’t test us.

“I want these games to show that we have players capable of doing what we want them to do.” @elvince_x254

Published By Xtra Publishing Limited, Chancery Building, Valley Road, Nairobi | Printed By The Standard Group Centre, Mombasa Raod, Nairobi.

Paul Marshall-CEO, Fred Bunei-Finance Manager, Josiah Musee-Advertising Manager, Peter Obuya-Editor