NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Kenyan Sasha Mongeli has accomplished the World Women Candidate Master with two games to spare after attaining 4 out of 5 at the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia.

Kenyan men squad comprising of Victor Ng’ani and CM Ben Magana stunned higher rate Malta team during the competition to win 2 1/2 points during the outing.

World Women Candidate Mongeli victory came through during the 7th round when she beat Tanzania’s Navini Alaphati.

Sasha was black and played petroff defence in a double kings pawn opening. She obtained rapid piece development and won a free bishop on move 20. The advantage being too great for the moment to withstand, Navini respectively resigned on move 30.

In another match of the day, it was a double queens pawn opening for KCB Jumba Gloria . She chose the Catalan set up and by move 19 won a free knight and went on to check mate her opponent on move 30.

Lucy Wanjiru had a tough pairing playing black against Samson Bertha.  She chose the French defence, her opponent chose the exchange variation but then had to relinquish two pawns on moves 12 and 14.

Lucy confidently converted in a better end resulting in making of anew queen and checkmating her opponent in 48 moves.

Daphne Mwikali was white against Ebrahim Zahabiyah. She choose the English opening to which the opening responded E5 the reverse Sicilian. By move 11 black had to contend with fractured pawns on the king’s side.

White slowly squeezed the space against the back king and by move 25 white had to give up an exchange.

The resulting end game was much better for black and Daphne duly converted with check mate on move 41.

Victor Ng’ani defeated Candidate Master Psaila Clarence in a Slav defence. The candidate master played the unusual queen C2 while Victor adopted long-term strategic plan of forcing the advance of the white c pawn a doubling of the white pawn on b file.

White spent too much time with his queen and pawns giving white a leading development. Victor played a clever a bishop e4 move causing white to respond f3 leaving his white knight without proper retreat square.

Two moves later Victor had positioned his knight on a strong square on d5, which saw his opponent made a strategic mistake of opening the g file falling for victor’s trap leaving him in a strategically lost position.

This forced the opponent to resign in a further 12 moves faced with prospects of losing a room or being checkmated.

” It was one of my best played games in the tournament, I made long-term strategic plans that paid off, I found very strong, but shuttle moves that my opponent found difficult to understand and I am very pleased to have won the game”, said Victor.

CM Ben Magana defeated higher rated Candidate Master Pace Colin rated 2132. CM Colin choose the Italian game with bishop C4 after a double kings pawn opening. Magana responded with the two knights defence managing to vary the move order and transposed the game into a Lopez structure.

On move 21 and in his typical style Magana picked a defended pawn on d5 with his knight. Rather than accepting the sacrifice which would have led to a quick loss for Collins, the CM decided to let the pawn go but couldn’t recover.

Magana won a second pawn and the resulting end game was clearly better for black his opponent resigned on move 36.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Ahead of the historic friendly pitting Kenyan champions Gor Mahia and English Premier League side Everton FC, K’Ogalo coach Dylan Kerr has warned that no player is guaranteed a slot as he prepares to choose 18 players who will make the trip to Goodison Park.

Kerr made the remarks after seeing his side frustrated to a 2-2 draw by visiting Mathare United, throwing away a two-goal lead on their coronation day last Sunday at the Moi Stadium Kisumu.

The Briton tactician fielded a strong team comprising of regular players that he said had trusted will pick maximum points but was disappointed after failing to defend a 2-0 lead, something that made him hint some of the players who were selected for the Mathare clash might not make the cut for the United Kingdom trip.

“It’s up to me to know who will go, who will be benched and who will not travel. We have a squad of 18 to pick not 27 that we had in Tanzania last year, some of them (players) might not play in that game (Everton). If people think they have the right to play not in my life, my job is to pick the best team to win the game,” Kerr assured.

“I did pick the best team to win the game against Mathare, we were 2-0 up we should have won the game but we didn’t, we are not professional, professional people close shop when 2-0 up and go home as champions,” Kerr added.

The 18 players who featured against Mathare are Fredrick Odhiambo, Haron Shakava, Karim Nizigiyimana, Raphael Osudi and Joash Onyango,Ernest Wendo, Humphrey Mieno, Jacques Tuyisenge, Ephraim Guikan and George Odhiambo.

The bench comprised of Shaban Odhoji, Charles Momanyi, Cercidy Okeyo, Samuel Onyango, Bernard Ondiek, Kevin Omondi and Francis Mustafa.

-Squad that played SportPesa Super Cup-

During the Kerr 2018 SportPesa Super Cup campaign that was held in Nakuru, Kerr had the following players making up the first 18;

Shaban Odhoji, Philemon Otieno, Godfrey Walusimbi (departed for Kaizer Chief), Haron Shakava, Joash Onyango, Ernest Wendo, Humphrey Mieno, George Odhiambo, Francis Kahata, Jacques Tuyisenge, Meddie Kagere (departed for Simba SC)

Bonface Oluoch, Wesly Onguso, Charles Momanyi, Innocent Wafula, Boniface Omondi, Bernard Ondiek, Lawrence Juma, Ephrem Guikan.

Gor Mahia will travel to United Kingdom on November 2, four days before the friendly day against the English Premier League side.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – The national women’s volleyball team Malkia Strikers suffered a devastating straight sets loss at the hands of Brazil in their fourth match at the FIVB World Championship Group D match staged at the Hamamatsu Indoor Arena on Wednesday.

Malkia lost in scores of 25-13, 25-10 and 25-16.

This is the third defeat for the Kenyans, leaving them with a must win tie on Thursday when they take on The Dominican Republic in their final group match if their dream of making it into the second round is to remain alive.

Malkia served off their campaign on Saturday with a maiden World Championship win over Kazakhstan but failed to match the same tempo losing to Serbia, Puerto Rico and now Brazil.

With the result, the Japheth Munala coached side remain fifth in Pool D and their only hope of making it into the second round is beating the Dominican Republic and hope group leaders Serbia do them a favor and beat Puerto Rico.

Malkia had a good start against Brazil on Wednesday keeping the scores tight and trailed 8-6 at the first Technical Time Out.

However, they could not maintain the charge and contain the Brazilians who led 16-8 at the second Technical Time out and ultimately winning the set 25-13.

Missing usual starter Triza Atuka who has been suffering from illness, Munala opted to start Violet Makuto in the middle blocking role. Atuka’s absence was however hugely felt.

The second set was more of a Brazilian affair, the South Americans taking charge from the onset with their strong service and attack.

A series of reception errors off service saw Malkia trail 5-1 with Munala calling for his first time out. Brazil had picked out debutant Sharon Chepchumba as Kenya’s weak point and they fully exploited her to take an 8-2 lead at the first technical time out.

The Brazilians led 16-7 at the second technical time out and ultimately won 25-10 with Noelle Murambi’s spike going beyond the line to hand Brazil the set.

Malkia didn’t up their tails in the final set with the Brazilians making light work of them and once they led 8-2 at the first technical time out, there was no point of return. They went on to win 25-16.

Chemtai was Kenya’s best performer accumulating nine points while Violet Makuto had six. Brazil’s Natalia Perreira accounted for 12 of Brazil’s points while Tandaria Caixeta had 11.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Mathare United, the 2008 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions on Wednesday unveiled a new betting firm, Odiebets, as their new shirt sponsor in a three-year deal worth Sh60mn.

Mathare donned the brand for the first time on Sunday when they took on Gor Mahia in Kisumu, but the deal was officially unveiled in Nairobi three days later.

“We’re really excited to announce this partnership with Mathare United, a Club with great heritage and significance in Kenya’s footballing scene. This is an open deal that stands to be built on incrementally,” OdiBets Country Marketing Manager Dedan Mungai said while unveiling the deal.

Mathare had previously had the Ng’ombe brand infront of their jerseys for most of this season, but that has now shifted to the back, marking the side’s turn in financial fortunes as they now have secured two sponsors.

“The past few seasons have been particularly successful for the Club both on and off the pitch despite some financing challenges. This sponsorship will certainly give the Club the stability it needs to forge ahead and compete for the KPL title,” Mathare United chairman Bob Munro said.

The club started the season without a shirt sponsor after another betting firm Betway opted not to renew their partnership and they faced a tumultuous period financially with players going for months without pay.

However, with the new deal, the club is set to enjoy a period of stability even as they look to quench their trophy thirst that has stretched to a decade.

“We believe in the potential of Mathare United, who have proven themselves time and time again to be one of the most dedicated and driven Clubs in the KPL. We are delighted to be the Main Club Partners and wish them every success in the coming seasons,” Mungai further stated.

Though they started the season strongly, Mathare have not had a consistent season and they are now placed eighth in the standings with 47 points.

However, this is a massive improvement from last season where they survived relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Mathare finish their season at home on Sunday when they take on Ulinzi Stars at the Ruaraka Sports Complex.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia has apologised after he liked a post on Instagram calling for the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho.

An account dedicated to the 33-year-old, called ‘teamvalencia25’, posted following United’s 0-0 draw at home to Valencia on Tuesday, saying: “I’m not even surprised about the outcome of this game.

“I always look forward to our games but recently Mourinho has made watching us a punishment. Something needs to change. It’s time for Mourinho to go.”

Yesterday, I liked a post on Instagram without reading the text that accompanied the picture. These are not my views and I apologise for this. I am fully supportive of the manager and my teammates. We are all giving our everything to improve the results. pic.twitter.com/bMEsrAwMkh

— Antonio Valencia (@anto_v25) October 3, 2018

The post was liked by Valencia, but he has now said sorry via a post on Twitter, explaining: “Yesterday, I liked a post on Instagram without reading the text that accompanied the picture.

“These are not my views and I apologise for this. I am fully supportive of the manager and my team-mates. We are all giving our everything to improve the results.”

It is not the first time a United player has found themselves in trouble for their social media activity in recent weeks.

Paul Pogba was last week filmed by Sky Sports News cameras in a frosty exchange with Mourinho, who was heard to question the timing of a video the midfielder posted on Instagram.

United are currently on a run of four games without a win, and have not won at home since the opening day of the season, when they beat Leicester City 2-1 on August 10.

Following their goalless draw against Valencia, United’s players and Mourinho are at Carrington, their training ground, as they prepare to play Newcastle United on Saturday.

The players that played on Tuesday are undergoing a recovery session, while those who were not involved are taking part in regular training.

-By Sky Sports-

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) FC moved a step closer to gaining promotion back to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) after beating Coast Stima 2-0 at the Mbaraki Complex in Mombasa on Wednesday.

The result that saw them move five points clear of third placed Nairobi Stima who played to a 1-1 draw with Western Stima in Naivasha.

While Western Stima have just one match remaining in the National Super League (NSL) both Nairobi Stima and KCB have two more to go. KCB will assure themselves of promotion if they beat FC Talanta on Sunday at Camp Toyoyo.

“This was the most important win for us and at least now we see the finish line in sight. It was a very tough game but I am happy we won. The boys have not taken their eye off the prize and this is the same mentality we want to take to the two remaining games,” head coach Elvis Ayanya told Capital Sport.

He added; “We want to finish the job this Sunday when we play Talanta and the players don’t want to take it to the final day of the season. We want to go in to that game without pressure.”

Coincidentally, KCB face Nairobi Stima in their final match of the season on November 13 and a failure to beat Talanta this Sunday will mean they play a mouth-watering Cup final against Stima.

The bankers ensured three points against Coast Stima with the impressive Dennis Ng’ang’a breaking the deadlock early with a well taken freekick while the returning Chrispinus Onyango who had gone for a short stint in the USA made it 2-0 with a simple finish one on one with the keeper.

Stima fought back for a draw against their ‘big brothers’ Western Stima in Naivasha with Ghanaian import Stephen Owusu stretching his lead at the top of the golden boot chase with an equalizer.

“It was a tough game with some bit of luck we should have won. It is now tougher for us and the reality now is that we have to fight to get that play-off slot. We have two games remaining and we should work to win to keep hope alive,” assistant coach Fred Ambani said.

Nairobi Stima face Kenya Police this weekend before finishing the season against KCB. They now look likely to fight it off for the promotion slot with Ushuru who made a late case for themselves with a commanding 4-0 thrashing of GFE 105.

Ushuru’s huge win against All Stars took them to 65 points, two away from Nairobi Stima. If Stima falter and Ushuru win this weekend, then Ken Kenyatta will be in pole position to guide his team for a second consecutive play-off against the 16^th placed team from the KPL.

Ushuru picked the win with Max Ravel scoring twice while Bill Oporia added the other before Edwin Mwaura crowned off the win. They will face Nakuru All Stars in Nakuru on Sunday before concluding their season away to Bidco United.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Harambee Stars face a tough phase before their crucial back to back 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Ethiopia’s Walya Antelopes with the Football Kenya Federation grappling with financial problems.

By close of business on Wednesday evening, the Federation was yet to secure funds from the Sports Ministry to purchase flight tickets for the 14 foreign based players called in by head coach Sebastien Migne for the clash.

This is on top of the fact that Migne himself has only been paid for two months since he took charge of the job and has gone for the remaining two without a penny of his salary.

“We are yet to secure money from the government and as we speak the president (Nick Mwendwa is meeting with the PS (Kirimi Kaberia) to try and secure these funds. It is a bit alarming because we should be travelling to Ethiopia by latest Monday and today is Wednesday,” FKF Chief Executive Officer Robert Muthomi told Capital Sport.

He went on to explain that the federation has been seeking to get funds from the government, with a budget of Sh25mn said to be the amount needed for the two games against Ethiopia as well as settle bills from the Ghana match.

“We haven’t paid the travel agent for the tickets we took for the first game against Ghana. Together with the Ethiopia game, we have a budget of almost 25 million shillings. The financial situation at the federation is not good and with this being a national team, we expect the government to take charge,” added Muthomi.

There is also worry that head coach Migne might be uncomfortable with the situation over his salary with sources claiming the coach is unhappy.

“He has his family here and definitely, he wants to be paid for his job. He hasn’t received his salary for two months and after the Ethiopia home game, we don’t know what might happen or what action he will take,” a source close to the Federation insinuated.

Kenya faces a date with destiny in the two matches against Ethiopia as even four points from the available six will inch them closer to an AFCON appearance for the first time in 14 years.

Kenya, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Ghana are all on three points with Ghana leading the group and Kenya second based on goal difference. While Kenya plays Ethiopia, Ghana will be tackling on Sierra Leone and this round of matches will give the group direction.

Head coach Migne had already anticipated to have the local group of players in camp by at least Thursday evening, but the same might be tricky both because of financial problems as well as the period not falling within the FIFA window.

“The idea was to have players coming in for training then go back to their clubs without residential camp. But this is difficult in two ways; some clubs have very important matches this weekend and will not be comfortable in releasing their players,”

“Also, it will not be wise to make camp bookings only to have three or four players turn up. So we will just have to wait till Sunday evening when all players are available, then possibly they can spend together before flying to Ethiopia,” Muthomi explained.

The foreign based players are expected to link up with the team directly in Ethiopia for the first leg tie which will be staged on October 10 in Bahir Dar while the return tie is the following Sunday in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, the team has received a massive boost with the return to fitness of attacking midfielder Eric Johannah.

The former Mathare United man picked up an ankle injury two weeks ago, but made a competitive comeback on Tuesday featuring for his Swedish club IF Bromma’s Under-21 team as they lost 4-3 to Hammarby.

Central midfielder Johannah Omollo who tuirns out for Belgian side Cercle Brugge is also back fit though he missed out his side’s 4-0 derby loss at the hands of Club Brugge last weekend.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Gor Mahia head coach Dylan Kerr describes the last one month as one of the toughest in his coaching career and has urged the players to put that behind their backs and finish the season strongly with two matches to go.

Gor were officially handed their Kenyan Premier League (KPL) trophy last Sunday, but it was the culmination of a tough period that saw them lose thrice consecutively and lose a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Mathare United.

“What happened was terrible and I think it should never happen again. I will speak to my chairman after the season ends because there are things I want made okay. This should never have happened and it should never happen again,” the tactician told Capital Sport.

He added; “We now just have to put all that behind our backs and focus on these two remaining games and ensure we finish strongly. We have had such a long and good season and we need to reward ourselves with something good.”

With the league all long won, the tactician says that the motivation for the players now is next month’s trip to England to face Everton FC in a friendly match at Goodison Park and the tactician says the players have two games to show him they want to play that match.

With the entire squad set to travel to England Kerr has insisted only players who deserve will get the chance to play.

“It is not a silver platter. As much as I would want all players to play, you must show you want to. Show me on the pitch,” Kerr opined.

Gor face Zoo Kericho on Thursday at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos before coming up against Tusker FC with the match shifted to the Thika Stadium.

Zoo have already assured themselves of safety but will be going into the tie seeking a first ever win against K’Ogalo having lost two and drawn one of their last three league meetings.

“It will be a tough match definitely because every team wants to beat us. But we have done our homework on them and I want to give a chance to players who haven’t had much playing time this season to prove that they want to remain in the team,” added the tactician.

There will also be the small issue of the golden boot to take care of with Rwandese forward Jacques Tuyisenge set to be handed starting roles in both the Zoo and Tusker matches despite Kerr going for a second string squad.

“Jack wants to go for the golden boot and we will support him fully in that cause. Francis says he wants to play because he wants to see whether he can help him and so he will be on the pitch on Thursday,” Kerr said.

Tuyisenge has scored 14 goals and sits one behind leader Eric Kapaito of Kariobangi Sharks and Elvis Rupia who left Nzoia Sugar for Zambia in mid-season. The Rwandese just needs two more goals to get to 16 and race for the golden boot.

The Zoo Kericho duo of Nicholas Kipkurui and Mike Madoya have scored 13 and are also in the race for the golden boot same as Mathare United’s Cliff Nyakeya.

Kerr will be boosted with the availability of defender Philemon Otieno who has just recovered from an ankle injury and the tactician says he will give him playing time over the last two games to build his match fitness both for the national team and the Everton trip.

The post Kerr wants strong finish for Champions Gor appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Malkia Strikers’ hopes of making it into the second round of the FIVB World Championship went up in smoke on Thursday after losing by straight sets to the Dominican Republic in a Group D match played at the Hamamatsu Indoor Arena in Japan.

Heading into their last group match of the competition, Kenya needed a win to progress to the second round having lost their last three, but they couldn’t match up the Dominicans as they lost in sets of 25-5, 25-7, 25-15.

It was a devastating performance from the team and they now remain fifth in the standings with the Dominicans joining Brazil, Serbia and Puerto Rico in qualifying to the next round while Kenya and Kazakhstan will be playing classification matches.

“We wanted to play well against the Dominican Republic. They destroyed our reception and were fast on counterattack. I wish the Dominican Republic success in the next round and hope they go all the way to the final,” Malkia head coach Japheth Munala said after the match.

Captain Mercy Moim was modest in defeat saying; “They played a super game. We played our best but they destroyed our reception. They are very tall and play well.”

Yonkaira Isabel led Dominican Republic’s onslaught against Kenya hitting 16 points while Lisvel Mejia and Brayelin Martinez added 12 points each in the victory. Leonida Kasaya and Sharon Chepchumba were Kenya’s best scorers, each accumulating five points.

The Dominicans dominated in all aspects of the game on this day, exhibiting their skills on attack, serve and blocks. The Kenyan defense had trouble dealing with the power of the Dominicans and appeared listless at times.

They struggled with reception throughout the match.

The Dominicans jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the opening set, scoring quickly on attack and being very proficient on serve. Galia Gonzalez gave the Dominican Republic the first set 25-5 with a spike from the wing.

The second set was a repeat of the first, as the Dominican Republic jumped to a 6-0 lead. Leading 9-2, the Dominican Republic went on a seven-point run to lead 16-2 at the second Technical Time Out.

The Kenyans had no answer for the Dominican attack and fell farther behind. The Dominican Republic took the set 25-7 on a service ace by Martinez.

The early part of the third set was competitive, as the score was 7-7 after the first 14 points, with Kenya showing energy on offense.

The Dominicans went back on the offensive, scoring four straight points to go up 11-7 and led 16-11 at the second Technical Time Out.. The Dominican Republic continued to build on the lead and clinched the set and match 25-15 on a service ace by Isabel.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Telecommunication company Safaricom will once again be the headline sponsors of the 10^th edition of the Isaiah Kiplagat Memorial Ndalat Gaa Cross Country to be staged on October 13 in Nandi County.

The company has splashed Sh2mn for the event which will usher the cross-country season. Ndalat Gaa is also celebrated in memory of former Athletics Kenya (AK) president Isaiah Kiplagat who passed on in August 2016.

For the second time, Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will be the race ambassador and this time he comes in fresh from his exploits at the Berlin Marathon where he made history by setting a new World Record of 2:01:39.

“I feel great to be part of this race and especially celebrating the late Kiplagat because he was a father figure and a mentor to my generation. The most important thing for me is helping to nurture the future generation,” Kipchoge told Capital Sport.

Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chair Abraham Mutai who is also the Athletics Kenya (AK) Central Rift chair says they expect a total of almost 6,000 athletes to grace the Cross Country across all categories.

Also, as part of the event, there will be a two-day free medical camp which will majorly concentrate on screening of cancer.

“Last year, the medical camp ran for only one day and we had to close as late as 10pm and this year, we have decided to make it two days. We are also focusing more on the children because the theme of the event is ‘Nurturing Future Talents’,” Mutai said.

He added; “All the top 10 athletes across all the youth group races will be put into a mentorship program which will kick off immediately after the event.”

Mutai further added that having Kipchoge as an event ambassador will go a long way in not only raising the profile of the event but also give the youthful athletes a role model to look up to and guide them.

The event has so far received collective sponsorship of close to Sh5mn with the Nandi County Government also matching Safaricom’s pay cheque of Sh2mn.

“Nandi is the source of champions. If you look at the just concluded Berlin Marathon, Eliud is from Nandi, the second placed athlete Amos Kipruto is from Nandi, the women’s winner Gladys Cherono is also from nandi County… so we are the undisputed home of champions,” Nandi County Governor Stephen Arap Sang said.

He added; “We have decided to fully support this event because we have so much talent in our county which needs to be nurtured. We are also doing this in honor of the late Kiplagat who has done so much for athletics in Kenya.”

The Cross Country has also received a boost from the Mosop Constituency CDF with Member of Parliament Vincent Tuwei saying they have pumped in Sh500,000.

There will be a total of 12 categories in the event including a 2km fan race for the VIPs whose winner will get a gourd of Mursik while there will also be a veterans race with the top three getting a cow.

Other categories will include a 500m race for children aged between 4-7 years, a primary school 1km category for kids between 7 and 10 years as well as a 6km Secondary School category where the winners will get Sh15,000 and the first runners up Sh10,000.

The major attraction will be the Junior men and women (6km) as well as senior men (10km) and women (8km) races with the winner in each of the two categories walking away with Sh40,000 while the second runner up walks home with Sh40,000.

The post Safaricom splash Sh2mn for Ndalat Gaa appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Gor Mahia right-back Karim Nizigiyimana has opened up about the struggles and hard times he faced during his long injury absence and has admitted that at some point he thought K’Ogalo would drop him when he took long to recover.

Nizgiyimana picked up an ankle injury in October 2017 at the Thika Sub-County Stadium, barely two minutes into the side’s 1-0 loss to the then relegation threatened Mathare United.

He ended up undergoing surgery and he was not able to actively involve himself in football up to August this year when he returned to training with the 17-time Kenyan Premier League champions.

“Were it in another team, I think I would have been dropped in mid-season. I thought at some point Gor would drop me because I was not going to play much because of the injury. But, the chairman was very supportive and even when I wanted to hurry myself back in, he told me not to do so but recover at good pace,” the Burundian told Capital Sport.

“I was receiving my salary every month and in time and the coach also supported me so much and always offered words of encouragement. The players were very supportive too and I felt a lot of love. To some extent, that helped me recover,” added Nizigiyimana.

He joined Gor Mahia at the start of the 2015 season and his brilliance as a marauding right full-back saw him win love among the Gor faithful in his debut season, racking up the highest number of assists in the entire league.

However, injury slowed him down last season but he managed to return just in time to see Gor’s season out, playing in the last two months of the campaign.

“It felt so good coming back. It was such a trying period for me because as a player, I always want to be on the pitch playing. But now, I am so relieved. I have worked hard to get back into match fitness and I thank the coach for giving me some matches to get back on top,” he further added.

Nizigiyimana played in some defining matches including the second leg Mashemeji Derby against arch rivals AFC leopards where they won 2-0 to confirm themselves as KPL champions.

This was Nizigiyimana’s third league title in his four years at Gor.

“It feels great for a player to come back and help the team win something. Though I came late, I thank my colleagues for ensuring the job was done early and winning my third title is so great. Gor Mahia is like home for me and I want to win more,” he further acknowledged.

-National Team-

Apart from playing a role for Gor Mahia’s successful season, the defender also returned to national team duty where he captained his side Burundi against Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon in a 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier, leading established teammates like Stoke City star Saido Berahino.

Burundi played to a 1-1 draw with the hosts Gabon with Berahino putting the Eastern Africans in the lead on his debut for the Swallows before Aubameyang equalized late on.

“It’s such an honor when you come back and then the coach hands you the armband for such a huge match. Playing against Aubameyang was something great and hopefully as Burundi, we can fight to qualify for the AFCON. That will be a good way to end my year,” an ecstatic Nizigiyimana exclaimed.

-Plans for 2019-

His plan for the next season which begins on December 8 is majorly to help Gor defend their league title and also do well in the CAF Champions League with eyes set on the group stage.

He didn’t play a big role in Gor’s Confederations Cup journey that saw them reach the group stages for the first time ever, but he now wants to help the team do even better in the bigger stage, the Champions League.

“We have proved that we are the best team in Kenya and by extension East Africa. Now we have to translate that to continental football and next season, we have to make it to the group stages of the Champions League. We have the ability because we have such a good team,” he further added.

Gor finish their season against 2016 champions Tusker FC in Thika on Sunday and their next big focus now is the historic friendly match against English Premier League side Everton FC at their Goodison Park home-ground in Liverpool.

Nizigiyimana hopes to play a role in the friendly match having been one of the Gor players that starred when the two sides clashed last year at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. He picked praise from ex-Toffees coach Ronald Koeman, currently the boss of the Dutch national team.

The post I thought Gor would drop me, admits Karim appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – It’s all systems go as the ninth round of the KCB National Autocross  Championship- dubbed the KCB Simba Autocross 9 -heads to Stoni Athi this weekend.

The event, organised by Nairobi’s Sikh Union Club will see drivers battle for championship supremacy in one of the most spectacular rounds of the KCB Bank sponsored 9-leg series.

As always, spectators from Nairobi and upcountry will head into the Stoni circuit to watch the drivers and their machines flying over the many jumps and hairpins along the racetrack.

Sunday’s race will feature four heats out of which the best of three will count in the final classification, but not until they tackle the early morning practice heat to gauge the suitability of their machines.

The battle for the 4WD T class summit will pit leader and champ Rehan Shah against Loveyjot Singh of Izmir Racing.

Alfir Khan returns to the event aftet skipingbtje Nanyuki round. He is  hoping to rack up more FTDs on his VW Golf Sti hybrid machine up against Kirit Rajput’s Pepera.

Bambino class tussles will pit teammates Yuvi Rajput and Tsevi Stoni. The 2 WD T class has the usual suspects in Zameer Verjee and Shaz Esmail among others.

Rajveer Thethy whomis movinv to 2WD T next season will be a lone ranger in the 2WDNT Junior Class. The son of former 2WD Rally Champion Charan will be driving his new buggy flat out ostensibly  to compare his lap times with 2WDT drivers.

Drivers quotes;

Lovejyot Singh:

“I’m still preparing the car for the race, as the championship fight is getting harder. I  need to be focused as any mistake on the track would cost a lot of points. Looking forward to this event as Simba union events are very well organised,different track layout and locations.”

Alfir Khan:

“Flat out, I have nothing to lose I missed Nanyuki due to turbo failure, broke rear hub in the last one so I’m way off the championship, so aim is to win the rest with FTD.”

McRae Kimathi

“I just want to go out and have fun. I have been busy and thinking of what I want to do next year.   All in all enjoy myself.”

Those expected to enter Sunday’s race meeting include:-

Open Class

1. Shalien Mughal open class Subaru buggy
2. Alfir Khan -VW Golf
3. Kirit Rajput-Pepeta

2WDT

2. Sahir Mughal 2wd Non turbo polaris XP900

2WDNT Jnr

Rajveer Thethy- Buggy

4WD T

3. Lovejyot Singh 4wd turbo group N Subaru Impreza

Rehan Shah (Mitsubishi Evolution 7)

Sahib Omar Subaru gc 8

2WDT

Shaz Ismail – buggy

Junaid Shah- buggy

Arfan Shah – buggy

Abdul Rehan- buggy

Criss Gow- buggy

Bambino

1. Illiyun Mughal Bambino class with Magibug
2. Yuvi Rajput
3. Tsevi Soni

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Rwandese forward Jacques Tuyisenge joined Kariobangi Sharks’ Eric Kapaito and former Nzoia Sugar man Elvis Rupia on top of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) golden boot race after scoring one and assisting another in Gor Mahia’s 4-1 thrashing over Zoo Kericho in Machakos on Thursday.

Tuyisenge moved to 15 goals same as Kapaito and Rupia who has however not featured in the second leg after joining Zambian giants Power Dynamos in June.

The former Rwanda Police FC attacker now hopes to score one more goal in the final day of the season against Tusker FC in Thika to pick the diadem in his second season turning out for the 17-time KPL champions.

But, the trio might be joined on top by Zoo’s Mike Madoya who scored the Kericho based side’s consolation and should have had another late on but missed a penalty.

–Positive start

Coming off a run of four winless matches, Gor got into a positive start with left back Wesley Onguso breaking the deadlock with a low shot from the edge of the area after 17 minutes.

However, the visitors drew level with Madoya scoring his 14^th goal of the season with a simple header inside the box off a Bernard Odhiambo cross after 33 minutes.

Two minutes later though, the joy of an equalizer were dashed with Gor going back up ahead when Tuyisenge finished off Francis Mustafa’s cross inside the box.

Wellington Ochieng then finished off Francis Kahata’s freekick heading it in in the 39^th minute as Gor went to the break 3-1 up.

The recently crowned champions needed just three minutes in the second half to pull further away, Bernard Ondiek striking a sweet volley from a Tuyisenge assist.

Zoo had a chance to draw one back late on when Madoya was clipped inside the box by Joachim Oluoch, but the pint0sized attacking midfielder blasted his penalty wide.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Just slightly over three weeks after making history by smashing Dennis Kimetto’s four-year Marathon World Record, Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge says that the feeling is dawning on him and finally, it no longer feels like a dream.

Kipchoge ran the race of his life at the Berlin Marathon on September 16 to finish in a time of 2:01:39, shedding one minute and 12 seconds off Kimetto’s record set at the same course in 2014.

“Actually, it was like a dream but now at least I have realized it’s a reality that I actually ran 2:01:39,” Kipchoge told Capital Sport with a wide grin on his face as he continues to busk in the glory of being the fastest mane ever over the men’s Marathon.

The 33-year old says he believed he was within range of breaking the World Record especially after coming so close to it during the 2016 London Marathon where he missed the target by a mere eight seconds.

More so in Monza, Italy last year, Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 in Nike’s Breaking Two project and he says this further fueled his belief that he was actually in the frame of making it happen.

“It was really big to confirm the achievement and being called a World Record holder. This is something that I have been looking for for a very long time. Although last year I ran the fastest time ever in the world in Monza, I had to confirm it to the normal world by running a record in Berlin,” the soft spoken Olympic champion stated.

On his preparation for Berlin, Kipchoge knew something was on its way.

“Before you do a wonderful thing, before you break a World Record, you have to internalize it, think about it, dream it and actually bring those thoughts up to when you are crossing the line even when you are yet to do so.”

“I internalized these thoughts in all my training that I want to run a World Record. Even if it was a second, I said it was still okay because it would still have the tag of a World Record,” Kipchoge recalls with nostalgia.

The athlete whose coach Patrick Sang has described as the easiest athlete to ever work with, tried his shot at the record in Berlin last year, but a mixture of drain from the Breaking Two project and poor weather made it impossible.

This year, it was all for him to claim it, and he did so with a huge bang.

“The revelation in Monza after the experience was that the human potential is unlimited. That experience gave him and us as the support system the belief that whatever he had achieved, he still had some potential that was not exploited fully. That belief is what propelled him to the next level and into what we witnessed in Berlin,” Coach Sang told Capital Sport.

The renowned trainer who has been with the athlete since his days on track almost two decades ago however insists that for them, it has always not been about the records but running a race better than the last one and picking a time faster than the fastest one.

“He had shown a World record potential after running several times which were very close to it then went on to do an unofficial two hour run over the same distance. It was just a matter of all the factors coming together and the ideal conditions. Our target was a Personal Best, and it came with a record,” the coach noted.

On Thursday as he officially was unveiled as the 2018 Isaiah Kiplagat Ndalat Gaa Cross Country race ambassador, Kipchoge said; “In this world, you are remembered for only two things; the problems you create, and the problems you solve.”

More or less, Kipchoge now features in both. He has solved a problem and created another. He almost broke the two-hour barrier in Monza and in Berlin, he broke the two hour, two minute barrier.

On whether anyone else will be confident enough to lower the new record which looks and sounds insane, both Sang and Kipchoge have not ruled out chances that it will go lower; either taken down by Kipchoge himself or anyone else.

“I have demonstrated by running two hours flat that anything is possible. I have also demonstrated the record is achievable by running 2:01:39. The whole generation knows that there is nothing that can prevent a human from running fast,” Kipchoge said in his modest way.

He added; “I don’t want to say now (whether I will break it or not) but what I know is I have demonstrated fully and I believe it is possible for anyone to break the record.”

His coach Sang is also of the same opinion. The record might fall at any time.

“Good performance is as a result of investing in many things including the training support system and on the material day several things must be ideal. If everything comes together, Eliud or any other athlete will run faster than 2:01:39,” Sang noted.

But meanwhile, Kipchoge is still savoring his new-found love and resting his body before venturing into a new ambition, most likely the London Marathon in April next year.

The soft-spoken Kipchoge with heavy nuggets of wisdom under his breath says he has been hugely surprised by the love shown by Kenyans both online and offline since his record-breaking feat.

“I am really surprised! I didn’t expect a normal human being like me can create such big attention but I appreciate those giving me good attention in a positive way,” the elated and equally surprised Kipchoge said.

Kipchoge has already been rewarded as an Isuzu brand ambassador with the company having promised him a brand new D-Max if he broke the record. They kept their word and was awarded last week.

he has now called for more corporates to get into athletics and associate themselves with the success that comes with it.

At the same time, he has also touched on the thorny issue of doping which has threatened to tain Kenya’s image with four athletes this year already flagged down by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

“Doping is unfortunate and we need to sensitize people to run clean and love the sport. I will be participating in talking to young professional athletes and those in school to really love the sport and train to earn good results, not the money. What makes people dope or look for shortcuts is money attitude,” Kipchoge advised.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Harambee Stars head coach Sebastien Migne has put Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on notice over unpaid salaries that have accumulated for three months.

According to Federation Chief Nick Mwendwa, the French tactician has told his employers to ensure the whole amount of his unpaid salaries hit his account in 10 days’ time failure to which he will take further unspecified action.

“He (Migne) has this week given us a notice to make sure we pay him by 15^th of this month. Immediately after our assignment (against Ethiopia) we need to make sure he is paid. I have discussed the same with the ministry yesterday, and they say as they get funding for Ethiopia next week they will ensure the coach is paid,” Mwendwa said in a press briefing at a Nairobi hotel on Friday morning.

Though the federation says Migne has been well accommodated and most of what he had required availed, the tactician is said to be continually frustrated at lack of payment especially after moving his family over to Kenya.

Migne, his assistant Nicolas Bouriquet and FKF’s match analyst Michael Igendia are the only permanent employees of the national team technical bench while the rest are all contracted on need basis.

If Mwendwa and his federation fail to pay the French tactician, they will find themselves sinking into another law suit with former coaches Bobby Williamson and Adel Amrouche already in court to demand chunks of compensation.

-Ministry budgets-

The news comes on the wake of the Federation’s struggle to make ends meet for next week’s back to back 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia with their budgetary allocation yet to be paid in full by the sports ministry.

Mwendwa has however confirmed that they have received a sum of Sh7.2mn on Friday morning, just a part of the Sh25mn they had requested in order to fully honor their financial obligations for the Ethiopia game and offset some arrears from the Ghana match.

“We had applied for Sh19mn for the Ghana game and we got only Sh4mn which meant there was a deficit of Sh15mn. On August 18, we presented a budget of Sh25mn for the Ethiopia game, but it was not until today that we got 7.2million shillings,” Mwendwa explained.

“Getting this money late means we have bigger expenses because had we booked tickets earlier, we would have saved almost a million shillings, same with the accommodation. This money that we have been given will only go to pay for flights and accommodation, but we will still remain with debts from the previous game,” added the Federation boss.

-Ministry promise-

He also noted that at this point they do not have any money to book for camp accommodation when the team jets back from Ethiopia, but says the ministry has promised more funds will be availed once they return.

According to plan, the team of local based players, coaches and federation officials are scheduled to leave on Sunday evening with the foreign based players set to directly link with the team in Addis Ababa before they fly to Bahir Dar.

They are scheduled to fly back immediately after the first leg on Wednesday with the return match set for Sunday at the Kasarani Stadium.

“They have promised that by the time we land back, they will avail the other funds so that we are able to book the team in a hotel. The minister and PS have assured that funds will be available to book the team hotel and pay allowances,” Mwendwa added.

However, sources close to Capital Sport intimates that division in the sports ministry might be the cause of the delay in disbursement of funds with the Cabinet Secretary’s office and that of his Principal Secretary said to be humming in different tones.

-Taxman’s axe-

The federation has been grappling with financial difficulty over the last nine months since the exit of partners SportPesa and with a handful of court cases, the situation has worsened.

The Kenya Revenue Authority has also freezed their accounts due to a tax bill from the previous regime but Mwendwa says they have come to an agreement.

“They asked us to pay an amount every month and once we are compliant, at least in three or four months they should be able to unfreeze the accounts,” the Federation chief said.

At the same time, he has defended the decision to buy an Outside Broadcast (OB) van at a cost of Sh130mn saying they took the money off the FIFA funds and have duly accounted for them.

“When you tell FIFA that you are doing a specific thing with their money, then you have to do it. You can’t divert it to anything else. I have seen people lament about that decision, but they do not understand. This van will also be used to not only generate content for us but also it can bring in some income when we hire it out,” Mwendwa further stated.

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LONDON, United Kingdom, Oct 5 – In-form South Africa wing Aphiwe Dyantyi has said the country’s players and fans are focused on fulfilling the dream of the late Nelson Mandela by uniting ahead of facing the All Blacks on Saturday.

Ahead of hosting the world’s No 1 ranked side in the final round of the Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, live on Sky Sports, the Springboks have launched a #StandTogetherSA movement.

Before the anthems at each Test, the players link arms and move in closer. On Saturday, they want the whole stadium to do likewise.

Dyantyi, who has been one of the form players in the Rugby Championship this year with five tries from five Tests, says it will be like fulfilling the dream of Mandela – former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid revolutionary.

“That takes us back to the dream of Mandela – the great Nelson Mandela,” Dyantyi told Sky Sports’ Miles Harrison on Thursday.

“His dream was just to see the country being united and if us playing on the field can do that for the country, that will truly be amazing and an honour for me to be a part of.

“And can I just say from my side, I’m just really happy for the opportunity and really enjoying myself on the field.

“I think it’s more satisfying for me to see how as a team we’ve grown from June until now and the reception from the country.

“How we’ve been playing has brought the country together.”

After a fairly inauspicious start which saw Rassie Erasmus’ charges follow an opening weekend victory over Argentina with losses to the Pumas in Mendoza and Wallabies in Brisbane, everything changed for the Boks in Round Four.

Heading to New Zealand as massive underdogs, South Africa put in a sensational performance to claim an unlikely 36-34 victory in Wellington, with 24-year-old Dyantyi one of the stars of the day, notching two superb tries.

On Saturday, he and his team-mates have a chance to beat New Zealand twice in the same year for the first time since 2009.

“I was speechless really,” Dyantyi said when asked of his memories from Wellington.

“It was really amazing and if there was one time the team came together, that was the game. And from there, we really set a bar for ourselves that we really need to maintain and keep on pushing.

“Playing at home, in front of a home crowd, at Pretoria – where the people love their rugby – it doesn’t get much better than that.

“It’s a great opportunity for us but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves and think about records.

“We as a team have goals and objectives that we want to achieve and we have a process in place. And if we stick to that and keep on building obviously until next year’s World Cup, keeping our heads and feet firmly on the ground, we’ll be okay.”

For Dyantyi, who only made his Test debut in June against England, scoring in victory in Johannesburg, it could all have been very different though.

Having played rugby growing up, Dyantyi missed out on provincial selection at high school level, nor did he play for his school Dale College Boys’ High School’s first XV, having been deemed too small.

Enrolling at the University of Johannesburg to study a degree in marketing, Dyantyi had all but given up on rugby and mainly played football.

It was the intervention of other individuals which ultimately resurrected his fading career with the oval ball.

“Yes I did [put rugby on hold for studies]”, he says. “Not willingly but due to circumstances. I guess things happen in life you can’t control. You can only control what you can.

“I’m just grateful that now I’m back playing rugby and really enjoying what I’m doing.

“A lot of people got me back. First of all the support of my family was truly amazing, and I can mention a lot of other individuals.

“Mac Masina, who played Super 12s for the Cats, he was pivotal at the time and was coaching at the university when I was playing U19s.

“He’s one guy who for me personally I hold dearly and close to my heart for helping me get to where I am today.

“Also the first-team coach, Coach Werner [Janse van Rensburg]. He helped me a lot in terms of not only being a player who plays rugby but one who is coachable.

“There’s a lot of people who have been so important and instrumental in helping me get to where I am. On the field, off the field. A lot of people from the university really helped me.

“I’m truly grateful to them and truly grateful again for the opportunity that I have here.”

Growing up, who were the Boks which provided Dyantyi with inspiration when he would watch titanic struggles between the All Blacks and Springboks?

“On the field, a whole host of them,” he adds. “Jean de Villiers, Brent Russell, Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery. A lot of guys.

“How they conducted themselves on the field, you could see the passion and pride with which they played the sport.

“For me, that served as great motivation and inspiration and that’s what I try and do as well – to try and be an inspiration to another kid somewhere who is dreaming.”

If Dyantyi and co can pull off another victory over New Zealand on Saturday, he may well inspire a whole new group of future Boks.

-By Sky Sports- 

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Paul Murunga of Homeboyz RFC was on Friday appointed the Kenya Sevens head coach on a two-year contract ahead of the 2018/19 season, replacing Innocent Simiyu, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) announced.

Murunga who beat a list of six applicants which included four foreign coaches returns to the national team set up this time as the head coach having assisted Benjamin Ayimba during the 2015/2016 season when they won the first ever World Sevens Series Main Cup title in Singapore.

“We had a shortlist of six coaches; four foreigners and two locals. Murunga’s experience in the team before is what stood out. His ability to handle a team locally and internationally is what sold us. He was Ayimba’s assistant and that’s when Kenya was the most successful having won Singapore and got to the Olympics,” Kenya Rugby Union

Murunga who led Homeboyz to five of six finals in the just concluded National Sevens Series winning four of them will be assisted by Kenya Lionesses’boss Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua who will also retain his slot as the Kenya Lionesses head coach, though up to January.

““We acknowledge Kevin has had a great input in the Lionesses team and he will handle them at the Dubai Sevens as well. The men’s and women’s games will be played in different days so he will not be disadvantaged,” Kamau explained.

-January decision

“We will let him work with the Lionesses for now and in January we will make our assessment and see whether we need a new coach for the Lionesses or he will still be able to double up,” she further explained.

Wambua also did well with his club Mwamba in the national series where they finished second, a massive improvement from last season when they struggled.

The Union is however yet to settle on a new Team Manager but Geoffrey Kimani and Lameck Bogonko will retain their slots as strength and conditioning coach as well as physiotherapist respectively.

The new technical bench is expected to take charge of the team immediately after next week’s Africa Sevens in Tunisia which will be outgoing boss Innocent Simiyu’s final task in his two year stay as the team’s head coach.

At the same time, the Union says it will contract players for the 2018/2019 season after the Africa 7s.

“We will wait for the new technical team to give us their preferred names for the new season and then we will move to contract them,” Kamau explained.

-World Cup qualification

At the same time, the Union has only set a target of qualification to the World Cup for the new team, though they are scheduled to have a different meeting to set targets for the new World Sevens Series season.

Murunga has a huge task ahead of him with a target of surpassing the 1-2-point mark set by his predecessor Simiyu in the World Series.

His first task in charge will be at the Safari Sevens in November where Kenya is set to field two teams; the Shujaa and the Morans. A total of eight teams out of a targeted 12 have already confirmed participation in the tournament.

The coach is expected to use the Safari Sevens to fine-tune his squad ahead of the first stop of the World Series in Dubai on November 30.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – The County Government of Nandi says it will spend Sh250mn in constructing a state-of-the-art training complex in Kapsabet to be named in honor of Olympic champion and World Record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

According to Nandi Governor Stephen Arap Sang, the 200-bed facility which will include gym, lecture halls, health facility, restaurant and a mini athletics track will be constructed as an annex to the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.

“As a county, we pride ourselves in being the source of champions. You can’t nurture this kind of talent if you don’t have the facilities to do so and that is why we have decided to construct this facility,” Sanga told Capital Sport.

“The contractor is already on site and work is at 25pc. We have allocated already Sh90mn from this financial year and we will allocate a further Sh60mn in the next year. We will spend another Sh100mn to equip it and we hope that by September next year, it should be ready for use,” Sang further stated.

Kipchoge meanwhile says he is pleased to have such an honor of having a facility named after him and says what is big for him will be the opportunity to mentor young athletes especially on talent development and thorny issue of doping.

-Great honor

“I really want to thank the county for this chance because it is a great honor. For me, it is not even about having a facility named after me, but what I can do for future generations in terms of mentoring the young professional athletes and those in school,” the Olympic champion and World Record holder stated.

Sang meanwhile states that the facility will be a hub to tap and nurture more talent with the Berlin Marathon having given a protraction of just how much talent the county has.

Both Kipchoge and second placed Amos Kipruto as well as women’s winner Gladys Cherono all hailing from the county.

Sang has admitted that the talent scattered all over the six constituencies of the county have not been harnessed and guarded in the right way and this, is juts about to change with the opening of the facility.

“The idea is to have a wholesome approach to ensure athletes are well trained. We are also developing other satellite facilities across Nandi but more important, we will have a fully equipped central place including conference facilities which can be used to bring athletes together, give them life coaching and more importantly, train those who are professionals on things such as financial management,”

-Doping menace

“We will also look at addressing the doping menace because it is something that threatens to derail our sport,” the Governor further stated.

At the same time, Sang has challenged the national government to increase its allocation for sports, saying athletes have brought this country more glory and the money that is budgeted for the sports ministry is a drop in the ocean over what is actually expected.

“Other than tourism and agriculture, one other key economic venture in Kenya is sports.. if there are ambassadors who have branded country globally then they are athletes. But, the budget allocation by the national government is disappointing,”

“If you want to reap from our sportsmen, then we must be ready to invest especially in facilities for them to train. The national government needs to do more,” the Governor pointed out.

His sentiments were shared by Mosop legislator Vincent Tuwei.

“What the national government gives to sports is peanuts. As legislators we have to fight to ensure this allocation is increased. The ministry of sports is one of the most under-funded by the government and we cannot allow this,” he noted.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Western Stima head coach Paul Ogai says the team is ready for their return to top flight football and has warned that the powermen will not be returning just to make up the numbers but compete.

Stima gained promotion back to the Kenyan Premier League just one year after they were relegated following their 1-0 National Super League (NSL) win over Coast Stima last Friday in Kisumu.

“It is such a huge relief for us to gain this ticket back to the league because there was a lot of pressure on us from the management to the fans to get back to the league. I cannot even express the feeling we have as a team especially personally because I only joined the team in mid-season,” Ogai, a former Palos FC head coach said.

Stima lead the NSL standings with 77 points from 35 matches and have just one more assignment which they need to win to ensure they are crowned league champions next weekend.

-Focus on KPL

But, their focus now is on their campaign in the KPL next season where the tactician hopes they will make a permanent imprint.

“We have learnt so much from the NSL> It is a very tough league and you have to be on your feet all the time. The KPL is equally tough and I just want to tell everyone that we are coming to stay. The first target we have is remaining there and if we can battle to be among the top five, then well and good,” Ogai added.

The tactician took over from Ugandan Richard Makumbi who was fired in July after the side bowed out of the FKF Shield and their performance in the NSL was starting to go downhill.

“I found the team at fourth spot and the promotion race wasn’t looking very good. But we worked our back up and I really want to thank the players because they cooperated so much to make my work easier. They embraced my philosophy and it made the process seamless,” the coach noted.

“I have only lost one game since I took charge and running to 13 matches without a loss. It is a run that has propelled us back to the KPL. We want to go back to the KPL with that same momentum. There is very little time between now and when the season begins so we have to adapt quite quick,” the coach further stated.

-KCB chase automatic promotion

He says he has already presented his list of players he wants to sign for the new season to the club’s management and he hopes they will land them in a bid to strengthen for the top tier.

Meanwhile, KCB who look strong favorites to seal the second automatic promotion slot will look to complete the job on Sunday when they take on FC Talanta. A win in this game will confirm their place in next year’s KPL even before they play the final match of the season against Nairobi Stima.

The bankers who have been in the second tier for three seasons now are on 72 points, five ahead of Nairobi Stima who will face Kenya Police on the same day.

KCB head coach Elvis Ayany says the side is focused to complete the job on Sunday to ensure their season finale against Nairobi Stima is a mere formality.

“We cannot underrate Talanta because that is the same mistake we have been making for the last three seasons. We are taking every game seriously and the players know we can’t afford to put ourselves under pressure for the final day. We want to complete the job against Talanta,” Ayany noted.

Nairobi Stima will now be left to fight for the play-off slot with Ushuru who are only two points behind them. If Stima win on Sunday and Ushuru lose away to Nakuru All Stars, then Stima will confirm their third place finish.

Ushuru finished third last season and lost the play-off to Thika United and this season they will be hoping for better luck. The taxmen’s only hope for promotion is on the play-off as mathematically, the second automatic slot is off reach.

“We will fight till the final match and see what comes off it. Ours is to work on the pitch and get ready for any kind of result,” head coach Ken Kenyatta said.

NSL Weekend fixtures:

FC Talanta v KCB (Camp Toyoyo, 10am), Coast Stima v Nairobi City Stars (Mbaraki 12pm), Bidco United v Migori Youth (Thika Stadium, 12pm), St. Joseph Youth v Kibera Black Stars (1pm), Ushuru v Nakuru All Stars (Afraha Stadium 3pm), GFE 105 v Kangemi All Stars (Sudi Stadium 2pm), Nairobi Stima v Kenya Police (Karuturi 2pm), Green Commandos v Kisumu All Stars (Mumias 2pm), Administration Police v Modern Coast (Hope Centre 3pm).

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Vihiga United, Chemelil Sugar, Nzoia Sugar, Nakumatt and Posta Rangers find themselves in the deep end of the Kenyan Premier League survival fight when the 2018 season culminates on Sunday.

Thika United and Wazito FC have already been officially relegated from the top tier and there will be one more team who will sit on the judgement seat, but in the play-off with the third placed team from the National Super League.

Vihiga, Chemelil and Nzoia are all on 38 points while Nakumatt and Posta are on 37 with the mailmen currently occupying the play-off slot, differentiated from Nakumatt on goal difference.

The biggest battle will be at the Ruaraka Complex where Nzoia takes on Nakumatt and if Posta win, whoever loses between the two will drop to the zone. A draw will see Nakumatt drop down while Vihiga will be safe.

-Cup final

Vihiga head coach Mike Mururi has described their clash against Nakumatt as a ‘Cup final’ and has told his team to play the game of their lives to remain in the top tier.

“This is all about their lives right now. We face a very tough Nakumatt side with tactical and technical players and we need to give our best for that game. We cannot afford to relax from the first to last minute. Looking at the team in training this week, I am confident we are in the right frame to win,” Mururi said.

Vihiga have not lost in their last four games, winning two including against champions Gor Mahia and drawing the other two. Their last meeting with Nakumatt ended in a barren draw at the Mumias Complex.

They come up against a Nakumatt side that has not won over the last five games losing three and drawing two, with sources intimating that the poor performance has been down to financial issues with the taps of the new owner said to have run dry.

But, the side will be looking to avoid the chop and a win at home, on a ground that has more often than not favored them will be a huge reprieve.

-Posta in hot soup

Posta Rangers meanwhile look more in hot soup as a loss against Homeboyz will confirm them as the team to take the play-off. Head coach Sammy Omollo has admitted that his side is in trouble, but has called on the players to step up, just for this one time.

“We have to fight with our all now because the danger of relegation is real. We just have to win; no two ways about it,” Omollo said after his side’s 2-0 loss against Sony Sugar last weekend.

Posta are on a run of four losses on the trot and have to win at all costs. On paper, they will be confident as they have only lost once to Homeboyz over their last five meetings, winning two and drawing the other two.

The last meeting between them ended 2-0 in favor of the mailmen in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, a resurgent Chemelil will look to complete the survival job playing against Kariobangi Sharks in Nairobi, taking on a side that has not tasted f=defeat since August 19.

Across all competitions, Sharks have won six games and drawn two and will come into the tie high in confidence especially as they seek a top five finish.

Another small motivation pushing the Sharks side will come in through striker Eric Kapaito who is looking to seal the golden boot with at least a goal as he is currently joint top with Jacques Tuyisenge and Elvis Rupia all on 15.

KPL weekend fixtures

AFC Leopards vs Nzoia Sugar FC – 3PM – Machakos,  Bandari vs Thika United – 3PM – Mombasa, Kakamega Homeboyz vs Posta Rangers – 3PM – Mumias, Kariobangi Sharks vs Chemelil Sugar FC – 3PM – Camp Toyoyo, Mathare United vs Ulinzi Stars – 3PM – Kasarani, Nakumatt FC vs Vihiga United – 3PM – Ruaraka, Sony Sugar FC vs Wazito FC – 3PM – Awendo, Tusker FC vs Gor Mahia – 3PM – Thika Zoo Kericho vs Sofapaka – 3PM – Kericho

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