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  • Kenya Risks Power Outage, Rationing

    By Sumaya Hussein

    Kenyans may face another series of national power outages or rationing soon as the Ministry

    of Energy struggles to repair five main power towers that collapsed in December 2021.

    The Ministry of Energy disclosed that it has no funds to procure a tender to fix the

    Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission line that has been operating on a temporary solution since

    January this year.

    The collapse cut off power from Lake Turkana Wind Power )LTWP) plant in marsabit, which

    supplies almost 17% of Kenya’s electricity.

    Energy Principal Secretary,Gordon Kihalangwa told Parliament that the ministry had

    requested the treasury to make the funds needed available in the second supplementary

    budget.

    “The five towers collapsed in Longonot and we restored supply within two weeks. We are in

    the process of procurement to have the towers restored. We have requested the Treasury for funding under the Supplementary II, ” he said.

    The transmission lines and Suswa substation are owned and operated by Ketraco.

    He added that once the ministry receives funding, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company

    (Ketraco) would issue tenders for the restoration of the main five towers.

    Ketraco acting managing director Antony Omukota confirmed that the firm was using

    temporary solutions to evacuate power.

    “We have not commenced procurement for a permanent solution because we have no funds.

    We are looking forward to getting the funds allocated in the supplementary budget, he said.

    The ministry however, has not disclosed the amount of money needed in the repair.

    In late December, the Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission line collapsed after damage the five

    towers knocking out power supply and leading to rationing in parts of the country while it

    was being repaired.

    The use of temporary solutions raises the risk of nationwide power outage should a temporary

    tower collapse.

  • Two and Three-Wheeled Vehicles Banned from The Expressway

    By Evelyne Syombua

    issyombua@gmail.com

    As the Nairobi expressway is set to be commissioned in April, two and three-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed on the Expressway.

    The 18.2km on the ground and 8.9km elevated Expressway runs from Mlolongo in Machakos county to Westlands in Nairobi County.

    As stated in a Gazette Notice dated December 31, 2020, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, wheelbarrows, handcarts, bicycles, and scooters will not be allowed to access the expressway.

    The route will also be closed to pedestrians and skaters.

    This decision was informed by the necessity for safety, as the vehicles using the Expressway will be traveling at extremely high speeds as compared to other highways.

    The four-lane dual carriageway has an 80km/h speed limit, and tolls will be calculated in dollars and paid with a unique toll card.

    According to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, toll rates will range from Ksh100 to Ksh1,550, depending on the size of the vehicle and the distance traveled by the motorist.

    Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands, and James Gichuru Road are among the 11 interchanges on the Expressway.

    “As the contractor nears completion and in preparation for the eventual opening of the road to the public, there will be guided trials to test the operations of the system that has been installed,” said KeNHA on their official Facebook page.

    “Being a key road that is expected to decongest the city, the Authority shall inform the public in advance, but at an appropriate time, on arrangements to open the road to the public.”

    China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is the concessionaire in charge of developing, funding, and constructing the expressway, as well as maintaining and operating it during the concession time.

    The road was created under a public-private partnership agreement that allows private investors to hold infrastructure projects for a set amount of time in order to recoup their investments before handing them over to the government.

    President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to commission the route when it opens to the public in early April.

  • IF I DIE YOUNG

    By Abdul Shaban

    [abdoolmtyro@gmail.com]

     

    Floating at the river

    Thousand poems of a believer

    Cigarettes burns the liver

    Held by demons none to deliver

     

    Here comes my lover

    Who blows up my cover

    White, red flowers of clover

    They are my favourite flowers

     

    Lie them on the grave

    Pour your tears of grief

    Tell my love I was brave

    “Yes whisper to my grave”

     

    I did not finish my race

    Too young to lose my face

    Ooh please grant me this grace

    Visit me forever in here my place

     

    Take my poems to archives

    Let them change millions lives

    Let them be your daily chives

    Do it to remember my lasting vibes

     

    Don’t come to my funeral

    Let it be for the world in general

    That I wasn’t your all in all

    Put my picture at the cathedral

     

    Don’t take my picture and post

    I’m still young to be lost

    I’m still young to die young

    But if I die young…keep this love

     

    Still young

     

  • Nature

     

    By Abdul Shaban

    abdoolmtyro@gmail.com

     

    Hear the wind roar with its numbing sound,

    Nature lions roar as it shakes the ground.

     

    Nature is full of beauty and danger as well,

    From radiant meadows to the desert hell.

     

    The ice so cold it can freeze you to the core.

    Whilst beautiful snowflakes carpet the floor.

     

    We take nature for granted we see it each day,

    And it’s beauty is always on display.

     

    Why are we so  dismissive when trees and flowers bloom,

    We walk around in despair and gloom,

     

    Yet all around us fields of gold,

    Watching natures beauty unfold.

     

    As it creates patterns so exquisite so precise.

    Plants with such fragrant spice.

     

    Perfume that so intense.

    That surrounds every sense.

     

    We are surrounded its fragrance captures our soul,

    We are hypnotised we have lost control.

     

    As the clouds above pass us by,

    Do we look up at the sky?

     

    Do we notice nature at all!

    Do we hear it’s wondrous call?

     

    As leaves turn from green into red,

    Nature sleeping , it isn’t dead.

     

    Winter spring summer or fall,

    It is there , there for us all.

  • Old Trafford: The Theatre Of “Screams”

    By Murimi Daniel

    danielnyaga.dn@gmail.com

    A photo of Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium.

    For decades, Old Trafford was a fortress to Manchester United and its supporters. Few sides relished visiting the Theatre Of Dreams as there was always an aura of invincibility. “Fergie time” as known amongst United and its supporters is now simply a myth. The anticipation that oozed from supporters during games has turned to frustrated screams and jeers.

    What has gone wrong? With 5 managers in 9 years, there is hardly ever a solution. Teams come to Old Trafford with hope that they can get some points, or win the game. The fear factor is gone!  United’s recent knockout by Atletico Madrid from the Champions League, and their exit from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively, will mark their fifth year without silverware.

    Cristiano disappointed after hitting the crossbar
    Photo Courtesy: Sky Sports

    It is time for some introspection at Old Trafford. Despite all that has happened and been said, United faithful’s keep the hope that their club will one day rise again to conquer England and Europe. Who is the best man to lead this charge? Well, this a chapter that will be unveiled at the end of the season. With nine games left, the fight for top four is on as United’s European dreams hang by a thread.

  • Feminism is not out to Fight the Male Gender

    By Neema Oloo

    #I can do it myself # I don’t need a man #Miss Independent #I can pay my own bills and many more are some of the misused and misinterpreted phrases.

    Let us start with ladies, you know the ones with wigs past their wash date, heels that are past their feet-life, lipstick from the dark streets of Nairobi, and their phones filled with numerous unanswered texts asking if we are still on Friday.

    Woe unto you if you open the door for one and she gives you the lecture about how she can do it herself.

    These are just but a few misguided concepts on feminism. What exactly does it mean to be a feminist?

    Feminism according to Forbes is the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. It is embedded in the belief that both women and men should have equality.

    It does not advocate for sameness because ‘same’ does not mean equal. We cannot be the same because we have different physical and emotional capabilities attributed to how nature designed for us to be.

    Why then should we talk about feminism? Simply because it advocates for equal rights (a fair operating ground).

    From time immemorial women have suffered the injustice of inequality. Men were allowed to go to school, men get higher salaries as compared to their female colleagues doing the same job, many communities disregard the opinion of women because they view them as children or weak.

    Hue and cry by the boychild saying that women’s rights have been over-emphasized. It’s like a race that started and due to the patriarchal benefits the boychild has enjoyed over the centuries the girl child has to do much more to catch up.

    “Some people ask: Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?” Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general-but to choose the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific problem of gender. It would be pretending that it is not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

    Feminism does not presuppose any hidden matriarchal agenda; it is not out to fight the male gender. It is not a battle of power rather a move to lift the female gender up to the same pedestal as men.

  • Final Weekend of KUSA League Takes Center Stage

    By Ken Andrew

    kenakikenyi@gmail.com

    Daystar City in action against Daystar Falcons at Bethel Grounds
    Photo Courtesy of George Mwangi

    Daystar sports teams will, for the last time this season, set out to represent the school in the KUSA League. Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March will see Daystar teams travel to Mount Kenya University in Thika for their matches.  It has been a long season and a league title will elude Daystar for yet another season but the Falcons will keep fighting.

    The weekend will see most of the teams play twice across the different disciplines. Football, basketball and volleyball face games on both days while hockey, handball and netball play only once.

    The Daystar Falcons Ladies football team finish their season against KU Ruiru on Saturday and Gretsa on Sunday. The season saw them revived after the pandemic and they have produced promising results this year, only losing once. For the men, Daystar City face rivals USIU on Saturday before ending the season against perennial contenders Kenyatta University on Sunday. Daystar Falcons play St Paul University on Saturday and KU Ruiru await them as their final fixture on Sunday.

    The Basketball Ladies face KU on Saturday as their last match this season while the men face USIU on Saturday and MKU on Sunday. The games will take place at the MKU Court. In Volleyball, the men face SPU on Saturday and Gretsa on Sunday as the women tackle their lone fixture against SPU on Sunday. The handball team squares off against Gretsa and MKU on the same day, Saturday. The hockey men team battle USIU while the Netball ladies face KU on Sunday.

    The season has been long, but the will and desire of the Falcons did not vanish. They always gave their best as they toiled to represent the school. As they end the season, we wish them all the best.

  • Volkanovski, Zombie to clash for Featherweight Title at UFC 273

    UFC 273 Main Event Poster.
    Photo courtesy of ESPN

    By Ken Andrew

    kenakikenyi@gmail.com

    Alexander Volkanovski is set to defend his UFC Featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273. Chan, popularly known as the Korean Zombie got his chance after Max Holloway dropped out due to injury. The fight will headline UFC 273 which has a stacked card with two title fights.

    Volkanovski is coming off a superb performance and win against Brian Ortega. Chan is also coming off a great win and performance over Dan Ige. The Zombie has been hanging with the top featherweights for the best part of his UFC career but this will be his first title fight. For Volk, The Zombie will only be his third different opponent since he gained the title, after Holloway and Ortega.

    In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will settle their differences and battle for the Bantamweight gold. Their first meeting ended controversially with Yan kneeing a downed Aljamain which is illegal according to the UFC rules. Yan lost his title to Aljo then, but can regain it with a win at UFC 273. He also enters this fight as the Interim Bantamweight Champion after producing a praised masterclass against Cory Sandhagen.

    Gilbert Burns will meet Khamzat Chimaev in the fight before the co-main event. The winner of the fight will most likely be next in line for the Welterweight Championship. The two fighters have clashed on social media before and helped set up a tasty fight for the fans. Burns will seek to win and gain another crack at the title whereas Chimaev faces his biggest test ever in the UFC. Khamzat has been a fast rising name in the UFC and that explains why he fights the number 2 ranked welterwight in only his fifth UFC fight.

    All unfolds on April 9th 2022.

     

  • Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks Goalscoring Record as United Beat Tottenham

    By Ken Andrew

    Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Alex Telles after scoring against Tottenham
    Source: marca.com

    kenakikenyi@gmail.com

    Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest scoring professional footballer of all time, with 807 goals, after bagging a hat-trick against Tottenham . The Portuguese broke the previous record of 805 goals held by Josef Bican. His hat-trick helped Man United beat Tottenham 3-2.

    Ronaldo had missed the Manchester Derby the week before but was clearly itching to play this week. His first goal of the night was the best of the lot after he found time and space to fire a rocket into the top corner past Hugo Lloris. Tottenham equalized after Harry Kane converted a penalty from a handball by Alex Telles. United took the lead once more through Ronaldo after  Sancho beat the offside trap to set him up for his second. In the second half, a Maguire own goal levelled the game but Ronaldo once again powered a header past Lloris from a corner delivered by Telles.

    The win helped Man United climb into the top four despite having played 4 more games than Arsenal. Arsenal will face Leicester on Sunday and a win will put the Gunners  back into the top four. United next host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie which is level at 1-1 on aggregate. Atletico Madrid will be weary of Cristiano Ronaldo as every knockout tie they lost between 2014 and 2019 was at the hands of a team containing Cristiano.

     

    Highest Scoring footballers

    1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 807 goals
    2. Josef Bican – 805 goals
    3. Romario – 772 goals
    4. Lionel Messi – 759 goals
    5. Pele – 757 goals

     

  • Daystar Student Mysteriously Goes Missing After Going Out for Food

    By Sumaya Hussein

    A student from Daystar University, Athi River, has been reported missing by the school’s administration after a two-week disappearance.

    Paul Charles Agesa was last seen on the evening of Sunday, February 20, when he left to get food off-campus.

    According to his roommate and friend, Agesa had spent the entire day indoors before leaving at around 7 pm with only his phone.

    “After going to the gym, he showers then goes off campus because he’s the one who volunteers to get us supper,” he said.

    Nebad Kisanya, Agesa’s father, said the last time they heard from the third-year ACS student was when he sent a birthday message to his father and sister in their WhatsApp family group.

    “On Monday morning, I happened to call but I did not find him. His phone was off.” he said, “Usually when he’s in class, his phone goes off. But later in the evening, he calls back.” 

    The school sent out an alert on February 27, urging the students for assistance in tracing Agesa’s whereabouts.

    A photo of Paul Charles Egesa. Photo courtesy of his friend.

    Speaking to NTV, Dean of Students, Rev. Mutinda Musyimi, disclosed that investigations within the campus were futile.

    “The very first question we asked ourselves is who are his closest friends? Is it possible he went to see them? But we talked to those friends but none of them seems to know where he is,” said Rev Musyimi.

    Police have begun an investigation and are looking into his call data as a primary lead. His Safaricom line could not be traced as of Thursday however, his Telkom line was tracked to Kibwezi, 168km away from the campus.

    “We’ve sent a communication to all the students so that we can work together on this, but that has not yielded any fruit,” said Rev Musyimi.

    Agesa’s family is calling on the Daystar Fraternity to assist in finding their son.