It was a good weekend for the Daystar Chess Falcons who managed to climb up the ladder from 10th to 6th position in the ongoing Kenya Online Chess League. A total of 21 teams are participating in this prestigious event.
Three games were played over the weekend on 28th and 29th of August 2021. The team managed to secure three wins with a total of 10 rounds yet to be played.
Playing online is a new experience as some players can be prone to mouse slip and poor network; a drawback which wouldn’t be seen in a physical match. However, there are also benefits such as quick analysis of one’s game and opponents. This in turn helps to strategize and prepare against the next team.
The Kenya Chess Federation has adopted a hybrid system where the league will be conducted online on Tornelo platform, approved by FIDE (the international governing body of chess). Open tourneys will be physical under the guidance of the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Daystar was represented by the following Chess Falcons:
Board 1: Glen Kingoina
Board 2: Edwin Kipterem
Board 3: Weldon Ngetich
Board 4: Brian Ngetich
Board 5: Karan Christie/Vincent Muthuiya
Board 6: Olive Sang/Wamuyu Macharia
Daystar Chess Falcons continue to grow in number and in strength.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of businessdaily.africa.com
Nine people have lost their lives and one sustains serious injuries after a crane collapsed during the construction of the new student residence located near Daystar University.
The incident happened today at around 12:30pm when, according to one of the workers on site, the crane malfunctioned and ended up throwing off the workers from the building.
According to eye witnesses, the workers were in the midst of dismantling the crane when it crumbled about 70 metres down leading to the loss of seven Kenyans and two Chinese workers.
The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Chiromo Mortuary for their families to claim. Construction of the 14-storey building has been halted as investigations begin in order to determine what led to the crane malfunction.
Zhejiang Chengjian Construction Limited, who is the main contractor of the project, will be liable to provide answers on what went wrong during the construction.
This incident comes months after a similar one happened in March this year after two construction workers lost their lives while two others sustained injuries during the construction of the Qwetu residence located near the United States International University.
The cause of the accident was unknown and it led to a two month suspension of all construction activities at the site.
Details on investigation findings were not revealed upon resumption of the construction.
Having played host to the 2021 World Athletics Championships over the past week, Kenyan athletes took advantage of their home and emerged as the top country. They held 16 medals in total (8 gold, 1 silver, and 7 bronze). Finland emerged second with 5 medals (4 gold and 1 silver) and Nigeria was third with 7 medals (4 gold and 3 bronze). Let us take a look back over the 5 days in which the championships ran to see how Kenya managed to achieve this.
Sunday 22nd August
On the final day of the championships, Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the gold medal. He set the championship record in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:43.76. Our own Noah Kibet secured a bronze medal in this race while Algeria’s Mohammed Ali Gouaned took the silver.
Purity Chepkirui wins the 1500m race narrowly beating Diribe Welteji from Ethiopia Photo Courtesy of Jonah Onyango.
Purity Chepkirui earned Kenya’s seventh gold medal in the women’s 1500m final on the same day. She narrowly beat Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji in the last 50m and clocked a time of 4:16.07. Chepkirui expressed her joy at beating the experienced Ethiopian who is fresh from the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics.
“This was my first time to represent Kenya and I am happy. Going up against an experienced runner in the Ethiopian, who is the defending champion, I knew I had to get my finishing kick right and it took everything in me to win,” she said.
Chemutai’s compatriot Winnie Jemutai also performed commendably earning a bronze medal despite having planned for a 1-2 finish for Kenya.
Kenya also dominated the men’s 3000m steeplechase with another gold and bronze combo. Amos Serem won the race in 8:30.72 while his teammate Simon Kiprop came in third with a time of 8:34.79. They were again split by an Ethiopian, Tadese Takele who finished second in 8:33.15.
The Kenyan quartet (Joshua Wanyonyi), Elkanah Kiprotich, Kennedy Kimeu, and Peter Kithome) won a bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay final with a time of 3:05.94. They came in behind Botswana and Jamaica in this very last race of the championships.
Saturday 21st August
Vincent Keter celebrates after winning the 1500m at the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi. Photo Courtesy of Raymond Makhaya.
The fifth gold medal was earned by Vincent Keter in the men’s 1500m. With a time of 3:37.24, he blazed through the final lap to win the race. It would have been yet another Kenyan gold and bronze combo but Kamar Etyang was disqualified for lane infringement despite finishing third. Ethiopians Wegene Addisu and Melkeneh Azize, therefore, finished in second and third positions respectively.
“I am really happy with the gold medal today. We had talked with Etyang and we had agreed to work as a team and then the best man to win. It is a good day for Kenya. I had a small injury in the middle of the race but I am thankful to God that I have made it,” said Keter.
Earlier that same day, Herringtone Wanyonyi won Kenya’s very first 10km race walk gold medal. He finished with a time of 42:10.84 ahead of Amit from India and Paul McGrath from Spain. He previously ran the 10000m race but was made to change to race walk by his former primary school teacher Wesley Korir.
Friday 20th August
With a personal best time of 9:27.4, Jackline Chepkoech clinched the gold in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase on. Kenya attained a bronze medal again with Faith Cherotich coming in third while Ethiopia’s Zerfe Wondemagegn won the silver.
Thursday 19th August
Japan-based Teresia Muthoni blazed through the women’s 400m to clinch Kenya’s second gold medal in a time of 8:59.78. Her fellow Kenyan, Zena Jemutai won the silver awarding Kenya a 1-2 finish. Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu came in third.
The very first Kenyan gold medal in these championships was won by Benson Kiplangat in the men’s 5000m. In a personal best time of 13:20.37, he beat Ethiopia’s Tadese Worku who had won the men’s 3000m the previous day. Kiplangat said that he was happy and surprised to have won the race as he had not expected to even get a medal. He was ultimately proud to have done so. This race also saw the first Kenyan gold and bronze combo in the championships with Levy Kibet coming in third and winning Kenya’s first bronze medal.
Wednesday 18th August
Kenya was off to a rocky start on the first day of the championships earning no medals at all. They suffered a crushing defeat in the men’s 3000m with representatives Daniel Kinyanjui and Bernard Yegon coming in seventh and ninth places respectively.
It is amazing and exciting that Kenya was able to move from a rather disappointing start to such a marvelous finish in these championships.
Daystar University will continue with blended learning for August semester 2021 with some classes being administered face to face.
Through an internal memo sent to students on August 17, all law students except fourth year students, and nursing students will have physical classes. All certificate, first-year diploma, and undergraduate classes will be conducted physically.
Other courses, according to the memo will be administered online.
“Given the COVID 19 protocol expectations, we will continue with the blended learning mode in the August 2021 semester,” read the memo from the DVC-Academics Prof. Faith Nguru.
The Deputy President, Monicah Gitau, and the Secretary General, Paul Caleb alias Msando, are set to have a meeting with Prof. Nguru August 18. This is for further clarification on the matter.
All continuing Communication students will be taught online with an exception for those that need studios. The School of Human and Social Sciences will have online classes with repeated physical classes for practicals.
School of Science is set to continue with physical learning.
All postgraduate classes will be conducted online.
“Further details will be provided by the HODs and Deans of Schools regarding the exact courses that may require allowable alternative modes of blended teaching,” stated the memo.
All undergraduate evening classes will be conducted online as stated in an updated memo on August 18.
The University adopted the blended mode of learning last year August 2020. This was due to the restrictions and measurements put up by the government against Covid-19.
Physical orientation for new students is set to begin on 23 August, with classes set to begin a week later.
As students hope to resume physical classes, the August 2021 semester exams will be sat for physically.
In the words of the late Nelson Mandela, “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.” Daystar Students set out to prove this point in the Inter-campus debate held at the main campus in Athi River, July 30.
The audience was eager and they flocked to the venue of the event to listen, learn and support their colleagues.
The participants from both campuses came prepared, as points from them all were valid. It was a heated debate and the audience also contributed through questions and comments. Also opinions regarding the participants’ different points and the motion of the day.
Passion was spelled on the participants’ faces as they each defended their points and their teams under the motion of the day: A united Africa is a far-fetched and outdated idea that can never be realized.
The audience was a bit of a killer joy with some of them not understanding the motion and posing questions that were not aligned with it.
According to the Oxford dictionary far-fetched means unlikely and unconvincing. The proposers were not against the idea of having a united Africa. They were rather of the idea that this will take a while before it happens. They went ahead to give reasons like corruption, dependency on foreign aid, and other reasons as examples.
The opposers on the other side called the proposers out for “betraying Africa” by stating that it is possible to achieve this unity regardless of the current state of African Countries. They supported this by urging the youth, who make up the highest percentage of Africa’s population to be the change.
Having corrupt leaders does not mean having corrupt youths and corrupt generations, standing up against corruption, and being the change that is the call.
The opposers were championing for change in the view of the dream of a united Africa and its possibility of not being founded on the current circumstances. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Daystar’s Falcons chess team emerged as the top university scoring 19 points at the Nakuru Open Chess Tournament held at Waterbuck Hotel. The tournament was held on July 31 and August 1. It featured more than 120 players from Kenya and had 7 universities present. It consisted of 7 rounds and was, in fact, the largest competitive tourney in the past two years.
Daystar sent a team of 8 players (6 men and 2 ladies) under the guidance of Karan Christie and captained by Brian Ngetich.
“I would like to thank Daystar management for giving us the opportunity to participate in this prestigious event. This has been a good performance especially after resuming over the board Chess in Kenya and we look forward to improving our games and win more tournaments in the future,” said Brian.
The top scorers were Weldon Ngetich (former captain) and Glen Kingoina with 4.5/7 points respectively. The other players representing Daystar were: Carlos Musungu, Jackline Wambugu, Olive Sang and Vincent Muthuiya.
The Daystar Chess Falcons Team.
In 2020 the team shifted to online chess due to the pandemic. This took away the thrill and general feel of the game. The Nakuru Open 2021 brought back a more positive vibe and allowed our chess players to really immerse themselves. Daystar now looks forward to hosting the 6th Daystar Chess Open soon.
For more information on joining the Daystar Chess Falcons, please contact Brian on +254 713 599 645.
Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Instagram (dusacouncil_official).
The Daystar University Student Association Council members marked their 100 days in office on July 29. They have had their own share of challenges as they take up their mantle and honor their oath of office to serve the students.
Being the first government after four years, students say the council members have a lot to do to fill the gap left by their predecessors and restore the faith students had in DUSA. There have been mixed reactions from students regarding DUSA’s term in office -so far.
Former Daystar University Actuarial Science Association (DUASA) Secretary-General Martin Mutugi has questioned some of the offices while mentioning that only a few are actively functioning. He said:
“It is nice that we have a DUSA government, therefore students can be represented. However not all DUSA offices are being felt. ‘’
The financial year ended on July 31, which was the same day the 2021-2022 budget was to be released. According to the finance secretary Wambui Njoroge, a draft of the budget has been submitted to the finance manager’s office for approval.
“The budget is set to be read after the orientation period in August. The congress will receive official communication once the budget is approved but will not get to amend it,’’ said Wambui Njoroge. However, the DUSA constitution clearly stipulates that the budget is to be submitted to Congress for final approval.
The student government is however yet to be fully productive with students complaining of loopholes including those in the DUSA constitution.
The Athi river campus governor Walter Nalwa stated that the journey has not been easy as they are trying not to succumb to the pressure that comes with serving both students who are online and those who are having physical classes.
He went on to add that they are working to ensure that students’ matters are addressed accordingly.
“We not only want to serve the able students alone but also the needy students. DUSA is not a resistant movement […] but it is a champion for students’ interests in a diplomatic manner,” said Walter.
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the university is yet to have all students back in school physically, posing a challenge to the council members as they strive to ensure all students are heard and their matters looked into.
His colleague the Nairobi campus governor Brian Achoka popularly known as Zaza insisted that the two are working hand in hand to revive clubs and associations which fall under their docket.
“My colleague and I have managed to revive some clubs which include the Debate Club, Daystar University Peace and International Studies Student Association (DUPPISA), Daystar Model United Nations club (DMUN), and we are on the way to revive all of the clubs both in Nairobi and Athi River campus,’’ said Zaza.
DUSA Council Members during their swearing in ceremony.Photo Courtesy of Insatgram (daystar_uni).
The Council members work with a number of standing committees to serve the students and ensure all their grievances are met. Each committee has at least one council official in it, and serve the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives of the association. However, a source privy to the Involvement Newspaper reveals that a communication committee, which is tasked with running opinion polls on issues of interest to the Association is yet to be formed.
Students’ cries to have events restored have in a way been heard, having had the Daystar Talanta Event, which witnessed a mass turn up from the students, in the Athi River and Nairobi campuses on July 22 and 29 respectively.
“We are looking forward to having more events, more turn-ups and also support from the university administration as we engage in these activities and serve the students,” the Secretary-General Caleb Paul alias Msando said.
The ex-officio members of the student government; Daystar Christian Fellowship (DCF) chair Moses Wisdom and the Daystar Compassion and Care Centre (DCCC) president, Derrick Kamura commended the DUSA council members for what they have done so far. However, the two state that there is more that the council is yet to do.
The university’s attempt to incorporate the problem based learning has not been a ride in the park as Deputy President Monica Gitau says. She added that it has been a challenge for both students and lecturers.
“I raised the issue and wrote a letter to the DVC-Academics. The Problem Based Learning intentions is to make students know how to do researches and not being spoon-fed and not overburdening the students with assignments. We look forward to better problem-Based Learning where both students and especially the lecturers understand this concept,” [sic] said Monica Gitau.
The Involvement Newspaper has reached out to the DUSA President Marco Laboso who is yet to comment on the progress made by DUSA so far.
The battle between the biggest football simulation video games will be intense this year. Electronic Arts (EA) will be releasing the twenty ninth installment of their ‘FIFA’ series – FIFA 22, while the Japanese company Konami is working on releasing its game, eFootball, in September or October.
The Konami game is more popularly known as Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), but recently underwent a name change and will now be referred to as eFootball. The two games have sat atop the football gaming world for well over two decades with both achieving critical and commercial success.
The two video games are often in a constant battle with each other. The latest battle is seeing some of the biggest European football clubs opting for Konami rather than EA. Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and AS Roma have opted to partner with Konami thus bringing more attention to their game and taking some off FIFA. Juventus and AS Roma even refused to grant FIFA the naming licenses in their games and go by alternative names.
A photo from eFootball announcing Neymar as their newest partner Photo Courtesy of Instagram/efootball
This year, the two games have undergone wholesale changes in attempts to wow the fans as they have been accused of little to no change in prior game versions over the years. The graphics and gameplay departments of both companies have been hard at work over the past year and both have promised significant change in their subsequent games.
For FIFA 22, EA have enlisted the use of Hyper Motion technology which has combined advanced 11 v 11 match capture and machine learning to give players a more advanced ‘next-gen’ feel. From their released gameplay trailer, FIFA 22 promises to have advanced player humanization which aims to mirror the communication, aggression and even emotions on the pitch between the real-life players.
A photo illustrating hyper motion flow as used in FIFA 22 Photo Courtesy of Instagram/easportsfifa
eFootball has decided to take a different route and become a Free-to-Play (F2P) game across all gaming platforms. eFootball will deliver advanced graphics and more animations than ever thanks to “Motion Matching” technology.
The fact that the game will be F2P on console, PC and mobile might give it an upper hand over FIFA 22 even though many gamers have chosen FIFA in recent years. Additionally, many will be keen on eFootball as they did not actually release a full game last year- only a season update on their previous version- and promised to unveil an improved version of the game this year.
Gamers have been favoring FIFA over eFootball in past years mostly because of the likeness between the real-life footballers and the simulations as well as the authentic names of teams. With some clubs opting to partner with Konami and the wholesale changes promised, will FIFA still have an edge over its rival?
eFootball has received a lot of praise for its in-game physics and realistic gameplay over the years, but FIFA has also greatly improved in both areas over the past few years. What is for sure is that both games have received heavy investment to give users and gamers better experiences.
A dream that has been shared by many African leaders emerged a debate between the Daystar Campuses on July 29. The motion being a united Africa is a farfetched idea that cannot be realized.
The Daystar University Peace and International Studies Student Association (DUPISSA), Daystar Debate club, and the Daystar Model United Nations club (DMUN) were the clubs that organized the debate. The debate pitted the two campuses. The Athi River students were proposing the motion while their counterparts from the Nairobi campus opposing. The opposers were led by Desmond Mwyne, Joy Kiriga, Wendy Mukiri and Jeremy Atambo. The proposers included Daisy Rono, Ghislaine Rody, Jeremy Njuguna, and Julius Kilile.
The University’s Congress speaker Noel Shimba chaired the debate. He commended the participation of the students who turned up in large numbers to witness the first debate held at the main campus.
“The motion of the day was timely and attracted many students. We thank God it managed to attract this number of students in light of Covid-19 challenges. As the speaker I am happy and hope to see more debates of this sort,” said Noel Shimba.
In attendance were: Head of Department School of Arts and Humanities Madam Sylvia Wakene, Madam Winnie Chemng’orem, Madam Esther Kibe, and the guest judge Mr George Maangi .
Mr Maangi was impressed by the teams that organized the debate, and the debaters.
“Both sides want the best for this Africa. We are not on either side but the debate is about being realistic regarding what is possible and what is not. The proposers drew their strength from the way things are and how they are going to remain for a while unless something drastic is done,” he stated.
The debate was heated with each team coming at each other in full force. When it came to them being prepared, all participants were ready with valid, and strong points. They were also ready to answer questions from the audience.
The Athi River with the Head of department Arts and Humanities, Madam SylviaPrime Wakene ane the speaker Noel Shimba. Photo Courtesy of Julius Kilile.
Jeremy Atambo one of the opposers, encouraged those present to champion for the ideals of the late Muammar Gaddafi, of having an Africa for Africa. The proposers had language and ethnicity among their points.
“In order to understand one another when conversing, we will need one language, “Jeremy Don a proposer stated.
The opposers went ahead to counter this. They stated that language and ethnicity should not be a reason why Africa’s unity is yet to be achieved. They went ahead to quote the United States of America that despite their difference in ethnicity and language they are united.
As the judges applauded both teams for being passionate about the topic and giving their comments, Madam Esther Kibe said, “Our shared fate as Africans must be tied so close together from a point of individualism and not just the leadership aspect.”
The judges used the following criteria to decide on a winner. They scrutinized organization and clarity, use of arguments, use of examples and facts, use of rebattle from different teams. Also the tone of voice and use of non-verbal communication.
“This debate has demonstrated our potential that is yet to be tapped. We will be doing this more and watch this space, “Madam Sylvia Wakene said.
The opposers emerged victorious after garnering 879 points with the proposers coming second with a total of 830 points. The Athi river team promised to come back, bigger, better, and take the trophy home next time, while the champions look forward to defend their trophy in the next battle field.
