involvement.damugeltd.co.ke

Author: Champe

  • Anti-Graft Protests in Kampala

    Anti-Graft Protests in Kampala

    by Ben Ayuko

    {Image by QFM_LIRA}

     

    Armed Officers took to the streets of Kampala to arrest young protestors who were trying to speak up against the corruption of public officials.

    These youthful protestors were marching toward the Parliament building in Kampala, demanding for the resignation of the Speaker to the National Assembly, Anitah Among, when they were intercepted and arrested.

    This comes after Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, had issued a warning to those planning to protest, saying that they were, “Playing with Fire.”

    “What right… do you have to seek to generate chaotic behavior? … We are busy producing … cheap food, other people in other parts of the world are starving… you here want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us…”, Museveni said in a three-hour-long wide-ranging address.

    This, of course, in the wake of the Anti-Finance Bill Protests seen all over Kenya whereby dozens-on-dozens-on-dozens of people were killed by Police sanctioned by President William Ruto, makes Yoweri Museveni’s words all the more ominous in nature as it is yet unclear what the words “Playing with Fire” are meant to imply.

    Ugandan Opposition Leader, Bobi Wine, gave a statement in support of the protests which he made a point to claim were “organized by the young people of Uganda” and not his national party. The former musician, just a few years ago, was arrested amidst forming a campaign to challenge Museveni’s rule. His arrest led to protests in Uganda which were met with law enforcement. Dozens-on-dozens died on the day trying to push for his freedom.

    He is back, this time, not at the forefront. but as part of the movement that would defy Museveni’s long-standing government.

     

  • Ajali Barabarani!

    Ajali Barabarani!

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by X}

    There was an accident on the Southern Bypass near Ole Sereni Hotel at 6:30a.m on Tuesday morning, July 23rd, 2024.

    A Lorry and a Trailer were headed in opposite directions (one coming from Kikuyu, the other going toward Kikuyu respectively) on opposite sides of the road when the Lorry driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle, barreling right into the trailer. It is, as of yet, not known what caused this sudden mishap but the consequence of it can only be described as severe.

    Both drivers lost their lives on impact as the trailer then proceeded to catch fire and erupt into flames. The driver’s body was burnt beyond recognition.

     

    Practitioners from a Multi-Agency Response Team arrived on the scene quickly and were able to pull 3 passengers from the wreckage and take them to the hospital for treatment as per statement by the Kenya Red Cross, i.e. “Three people have been taken to hospital, thanks to the efforts of a multi-agency response team,”- Kenya Red Cross.

     

  • All Blacks Annihilate Faltering Fijians

    All Blacks Annihilate Faltering Fijians

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by PlanetRugby}

     

    Fresh off beating England in their first round of test matches, the New Zealand All Blacks set their sights on their Oceania “brothers“, Fiji.

    As usual, the game started with each side issuing a war cry to their opponent. The roar of the Fijian ‘CIBI’ was met with the defiance of the New Zealand ‘HAKA’. 2 sets of warriors, on opposite sides, ready to leave it all on the line.

    No sooner had the game started than New Zealand soared over the try line for the first points of the game. Good play from Damien McKenzie saw him break through the Fijian defensive line and send the ball out wide. Caleb Clarke was on the end of the move, and he side stepped 2 defenders before touching down for New Zealand. McKenzie converted his kick.

    Literally 5 minutes later, scrumhalf Cortez Ratima increased the advantage for the All Blacks. A strong carry from Centre, Anton Lienert-Brown set up a ruck just underneath the Fijian posts. Ratima took advantage of a stumbling Fijian backline, picking the ball up straight from the ruck and sailing into the try box. Sadly, this would be his last meaningful contribution to the team as he went off after suffering a shoulder injury. McKenzie converted his kick give his team a 14-0 lead 14minutes into the game.

    This seemed to spark Fiji into gear, seeing as how they enjoyed their best spell of the half for the next period of the game. Flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula started looking to influencing the game using his kicking ability. He sent a kick to the air that was knocked on by a New Zealand defender who failed in his attempt to catch the ball. From the resultant scrum, Armstrong-Ravula received the ball once more, this time sending a carefully aimed kick over to the blindside right into the arms of veteran Fijian winger, Semi Radradra. He climbed highest to catch the ball and then, skillfully tossed it back to his inside just before being taken out by the defender. The ball landed right into the arms of the fullback, Vilimoni Botitu who had a clear run into the New Zealand try box and touched down to get Fiji on the score board. A textbook exhibit of Fijian Rugby at its best.

    This would prove to be the last cheerful moment for Fiji in this game as tries from Billy Proctor, Ardie Savea, Sevu Reece, Ethan de Groot and George Bell aided by McKenzie‘s conversions for all but one, meant that Fiji didn’t stand a chance on the day. The spectators were treated to some special moments from their players, though. Something to give them inspiration and spark a response in the 2nd test match.

     

     

  • The Real Deal?

    The Real Deal?

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by X}

     

    Lenny Yoro enjoyed a solid outing in his first ever performance for Man United in their friendly against Rangers over the weekend.

    Being one of the more promising youngsters around playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, he will, now, have more eyes on him than he has ever had before going into the new season and he will be hoping to have a decent debut season in the English Premier League. But if his season is anything like the performance he gave in that pre-season friendly, then he surely has nothing to worry about.

    Yoro looks to be a very sturdy defensive unit. He reminds me of a young Nathan Ake. His explosive power allows him to catch up to any attacker, even if caught out of position, while his body strength allows him to handle the situation with minimal jeopardy; his long, agile limbs allowing him to reach for the ball from the most awkward of angles. A player who is decent enough on the ball to keep things ticking over and who can be relied on as the last line in defense. It remains to be seen whether he is as much of an attacking threat in the opposition box as Ake was.

    He has received major plaudits for his performances, being likened to another player who burst onto the scene as a youngster, Arsenal’s William Saliba.

    One should remember, though, that Saliba was loaned out to the French Ligue 1 for 2 seasons before Mikel Arteta saw it fit to integrate him into the first team at Arsenal. If this is the path Yoro would take, while it does promise a prodigious talent in the long run, it would also surely beckon jeers and dejection at the hands of a restless Man United fanbase.

    The best thing for such a young player, often, is to let his burgeoning talent blossom at its own pace without any added pressure being thrust upon his shoulders. Manchester United goalkeeper, André Onana, has already come out and said, “We’re here to help Leny. We will take responsibility no matter what happens”. “We’re leaders, he’s a young player, we’ll give him time and he will be alright”

    However, whenever a player makes a big money move, it always comes with a big pile of pressure to accompany it. Many a football will undoubtedly be eager to see his £145k per week, €62mil price tag justified. Should he take some time to show his promise in this, his debut season, will the Man United faithful be so grand as to allow him time to find his footing?

  • Team Drama Overshadows Maiden Piastri Victory

    Team Drama Overshadows Maiden Piastri Victory

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Formula1}

     

    Oscar Piastri secured his 1st ever win in Formula 1 after some hullabaloo involving his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.

    It proved to be a very volatile atmosphere as both the McLaren and the Red Bull Racing team engineers had to rein in their respective drivers and ensure they brought the car home in one piece.

    The action began as soon as the 1st corner as both Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen launched off the line and ran up alongside pole sitter Lando Norris right into the right hander. They were lined up 3 abreast going into the corner but for Oscar, having the advantage of the inside line meant that he would emerge out of the corner in the lead. Verstappen took 2nd place by going around the outside of Norris but was adjudged to have gained an advantage by going off the track and therefore he had to give the place back to the Mclaren driver, despite his protestations to the team.

    This incident wound up winding him up and for the rest of the race he was almost on his own personal charge as though looking to prove something.

    The real fireworks flew after the 2nd round of pitstops on lap 50.

    The McLaren team decide to pit Norris ahead of teammate Oscar who was leading the race. Norris came back out with fresh tyres and as a result, managed to overtake his teammate after he made his own pitstop in the following lap. This was a bad look.

    McLaren issued team orders to Norris telling him to switch positions back with Oscar. Norris was reluctant to do this. After all, he was sat in 2nd place in the overall driver championships standings, and it would have served him best to take advantage of the situation.

    This debate went on, over the very public team radio, for over 10 laps as Norris built his lead over Oscar. As heartbreaking as it would be for Oscar to lose the chance to win his first race in this manner, questions like “Well why didn’t you pit him first?” or “Tell him to catch up…”  would prove difficult to argue against Norris for his convictions.

    Verstappen was already not enjoying his best race and his 2nd pitstop left him with an even bigger mountain to climb should he be looking to win the race, a point he made sure to put forward with some rather colourful language on the team radio. His frustrations at being stuck behind Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in 4th place finally boiled over as he elected to send his car from deep and divebomb Hamilton at the first corner. He overshot it. He made contact with Hamilton. His car was sent flying into the air and, miraculously, avoided taking any damage. He did lose a position to Charles Leclerc though.

    Alas, with 3 laps to go, Norris yielded, allowing Oscar to claim first place back and take his race victory. Norris in a disgruntled 2nd place, Hamilton and Leclerc in rather fortunate 3rd and 4th respectively as Verstappen finished in 5th.

    Oscar became the 7th different driver to win a race in 2024.

     

  • The Ship of Theseus

    The Ship of Theseus

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by jotem}

    We have all, by now, heard of ‘the Ship of Theseus‘. If you haven’t, Theseus was Divine Hero and a Founder of Athens in Greek Mythology. He was known for his exploits, most famously perhaps for defeating the minotaur. The King Minos of Crete had an annual tradition whereby he would select 7 maidens & 7 young men from Athens to feed, as a sacrifice, to the minotaur located at the center of the Labyrinth on Crete. Theseus, determined to end Minoan rule, volunteered to go as one of the young men. Remember when I said he was a Hero.

    He would find his way to the Minotaur, slay it, and, with the help of Ariadne- the King’s daughter- he would make his way out of the Labyrinth, escaping the island on a ship. The Athenians, undoubtedly grateful, would preserve this ship -which came to be known as the aforementioned Ship of Theseus– by replacing each panel of decaying wood one at a time. That’s how the story goes anyway.

    The question is this, after every single aging/decaying panel of wood that makes up the boat has been replaced by new wood, can we still refer to the new ship as the Ship of Theseus?

    Or, in other words, what makes the ship of Theseus the Ship of Theseus? Is it the wooden framework? Is it the contents of the ship? Is it the fact that Theseus sailed on it?

    Surely once you have replaced every single panel of the ship, then the original ship ceases to exist. Or maybe it does still exist, but it exists in the corner where the pile of discarded dead wood has been tossed. That is to say, should one possess the ability to stitch the dead wood back together, then Theseus would now have 2 ships, no? Or is it still just one? Surely, they can’t both be the Ship of Theseus because only one of these ships aided in his escape from Crete. But which one is it?

    With developing technology, we, as humans, may soon have to come up with a concrete answer to this question. In video games such as Cyberpunk 2077, we come across characters who have augmented their bodies, replacing their fleshy body parts with robotic attachments to enhance their level of existence. For instance, replacing one’s eyeballs with actual cameras that can see things more clearly, record events, even zoom in and out. Maybe they want to run faster/ jump higher, so they replace their legs with machinery that would enable them to do so. They have smoked all their lives and have therefore weakened their lungs, so they replace them with more efficient ventilators. Or they have had one too many heart attacks and opt to replace their heart with a state-of-the-art pacemaker.

    Or maybe I take things up an echelon. I want to avoid death. I mean, it’s only the physical elements of our bodies that die, right? The brain may decay and limit the mind’s functionality, but the mind would otherwise remain unaffected.

    Maybe I want to live beyond the years my body will allow me. Maybe I watched shows like ‘Altered Carbon‘ and ‘Pantheon‘ and got intrigued by their idea of life. Maybe I can just lift my consciousness from out of my brain and preserve it on some kind of digital hardware. Maybe I can upload this hardware onto a different machine and live like the Terminator and call myself Adam Smasher.

    If I did so, then would I cease to be myself? And if so, then at what point would I cease to be myself? How many body parts would I need to replace in order to stop being myself? And if I donated all my body parts to one single person who needed them, would they become me? Surely, we couldn’t both be me, could we?

    Or maybe I made a copy of my own consciousness. Then I put it into another body. Would it be me? If anyone else talked to it, they would definitely believe that they were talking to me, wouldn’t they? But it wouldn’t really be me, would it? If I left my clone with them and travelled to the other side of the galaxy to start another life, by the time I returned, would they still accept me? Or would my clone now take priority considering the clone now had some new memories with them. Memories that I don’t have. From their perspective, it’s all the same. All the time I’ve been away, they have been living with me.

    If Theseus returned from beyond Olympus, would he recognize the ship as the same ship he had escaped from Crete with? If not, then what was the crossover point?

  • Wait, Which one is You Again?

    Wait, Which one is You Again?

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by TheScientist}

    If you haven’t finished “the Boys” season 4 (and you intend to), then go watch it first then get back to me. If you generally don’t care about the Boys, then allow me to pick your brain.

    If you don’t know the Boys, well then let me introduce you. “The Boys” is one of the most family friendly, light-hearted and at times even hope-filled television programs currently on air. Adapted from a comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it was brought to life on the screen by Eric Kripke, the same mind that brought you “Supernatural”.

    “The Boys” is about a ragtag group of acquaintances challenging the status quo that is orchestrated by the powers that be. A story about how important family is, and that if you have family, everything will always work out in the end.

    In season 4 of “the Boys“, Annie January, aka Starlight, is kidnapped and subsequently replaced by a shape shifter. This shapeshifter assumes the identity of Annie seamlessly. This is made possible by the fact that, when it assumes her identity, it also assumes her memories. Now, what this means is, should anyone try to question her under suspicion of being an imposter, every answer that it would give is an answer that Annie would have given. Because not only did it copy her body, but italso copied her mind.

    This becomes an issue when it, the Shapeshifter, goes to Annie’s home where she stays with her Boyfriend, Hughie, and decides to propose to him. Hughie, elated with joy, accepts the proposal and even gets, unbeknownst to him, the Shapeshifter a ring. They stayed together for 10 days before the Shapeshifter’s ulterior motives came into play, forcing itto reveal itself. When Annie resurfaced and found out what had happened, she was, understandably, very cross with Hughie.

    Which lead me to my question. Did she have a right to be angry? I mean, sure, she obviously would be considering she came home to find that, not only did her partner not even realize she was gone, but he had also got engaged to another woman. But even so, does the fact that he thought it was her account for anything? Remember, this person is the exact likeness of the person he knew, down to the memories they shared. Heck, even her ambitions. The imposter may not share the same burning desire, but it at least knows what the desires are.

    And it isn’t as though he spotted another lady who he deemed superior to his partner. The person he vowed to spend the rest of his life with was, at least in his own head, effectively, his partner.

    So, at what point does it become a betrayal? When he couldn’t tell the Forgery from the Original? I mean, he only had 10 days to work with. Why would he even think his partner had been replaced? I mean, what if I told you, reader, that the person you are currently living with was actually a clone of the person you actually lived with? Isn’t it such a ridiculous concept to even entertain? Yet, cloning is a real thing in our world today. Obviously not to such a sophisticated level, but as early as 1996, the first animal to be cloned, Dolly the Sheep, was born. Who knows what kind of level of cloning human beings could achieve before the sun burns out, if it hasn’t been achieved already.

    How would you even react, if you found out your partner had an exact copy of themselves? Would you feel the same way about their copy as you do them? Keep in mind, they would react in exactly the same way, share the same goals, suffer the same trauma, remember exactly the same experiences they had with you…how would you tell the difference?

    Can you accept one while simply ignoring the other?

    If you had to, could you eliminate one to ensure the other’s survival?

     

     

     

     

  • The New Season Kicks Off

    The New Season Kicks Off

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by DAZN}

    Pre-Season friendlies are officially underway as the premier league look to get back into gear ahead of the opening game of the new premier league campaign.

    Manchester United took on Norwegian side Rosenborg. It looked to be a dead rubber until Noah Emmanuel popped up in the box in the 93rd minute to win the game for Rosenborg as Man United kicked off their season with a loss.

    Aston Villa took on Walsall. It was relatively new signing Morgan Rodgers who take center stage as his first half brace gave the Aston Villa the lead into the break. A second half goal from Louie Barry sealed the win for Aston Villa, A good way to start the season.

    Tottenham Hotspur demolished Hearts in their first friendly. It was a tale of 2 halves as Spurs struggled to break down their opposition. They went into the break lucky to have a 1-0 lead. At halftime, manager Big Ange changed the whole team and introduced some of the academy products. They completely dominated the game, winning it 5-1. Some peculiar questions for Ange Postecoglou to find answers for.

    West Ham came back from 2 goals down to salvage a draw against Ferencváros. Key moment a classy free kick from Danny Ings and a wonder goal from Alexandre Pešić.

    Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest comfortably beat Chesterfield 3-0 while Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Italian side Como 1907 1-0.

  • FPL is Live!

    FPL is Live!

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by FPL}

    Fantasy Premier League is back, and we can barely contain our excitement.

    Many changes have been made for this season’s edition in order to make the game more competitive and we can only give a nod of approval to the organizers for doing so much.

    First off, the price changes. Erling Haaland comes in at £15.0m which makes him the most expensive FPL asset ever. Mo Salah maintains his value at £12.5m after another decent outing last season.

    Cole Palmer perhaps has the biggest price rise after he burst onto the scene last season, more than doubling his value as he moves up from £5.0m to £10.5m. Saka also moves up to £10.0m while Heung-min Son moves back up again to £10.0m. Defenders like William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Virgil van Dijk and Joško Gvardiol all come in at £6.0m while Trent Alexander-Arnold keeps his place as the priciest defender at £7.0m

    This makes it very difficult to pick the same players as the £100m budget cannot be spread to cover every single valuable player. Some decisions will have to be made along with regrets realized.

    The Bonus Point System has also been revamped, admittedly, favouring the attacking players more than the defensive. Additional points in the Bonus Point System for occurrences such as Number of times Fouled, Shots on target, etc. will surely only benefit the forward players while making life difficult for the Goalkeepers in particular.

    Goalkeepers, though, have had their own upgrade as should your chosen Keeper pull an Alisson and score a 90th minute winner, he would receive 10 points rather the usual 6. This, in turn, is intended to give you more of a headache when choosing your players as more variables have been added to the player criteria.

    With the transfer window still very much wide open, there’s still a lot of movement yet to be done. So, who knows what kind of headaches we are going to have by the time the season is kicking off.

  • Frawley’s Fantastic Foot wins it for Ireland

    Frawley’s Fantastic Foot wins it for Ireland

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Sportsfile}

     

    Ireland met South Africa in the second round of their test match series looking for revenge after they lost their first round.

    And they quickly flew applying pressure on the South Africa defensive line, pushing them back further and further into their own half. A collision left South Africa veteran Eben Etzebeth with a gash in his forehead meaning he had to be substituted in order to take care of it.

    It was 13 minutes when Ireland got points on the board. Neat interplay between the Irish backs saw them break through South Africa’s defensive line. There was some decent ball juggling by fullback James Osborne and 2 offloads later, the ball was in the hands of scrumhalf, Conor Murray as he sailed over the South Africa try line for the first points of the game. Some traded penalties between Ireland’s Jack Crowley and South Africa’s Handre Pollard meant that the scores read 16-6 to Ireland going into the half-time break.

    South Africa came out of the dressing room with fire in their belly like they had something to prove to their home crowd as they firmly took control of the game. An early offense by the Irish captain of the day, Caelan Doris, saw him sent to the sin bin which only aided South Africa’s efforts in asserting their dominance.

    Some more traded penalties saw South Africa wrestle the lead from Ireland with the score at 24-19. Needing some inspiration off the bench, Ireland introduced Ciarán Frawley. And he did just that.

    First, he received the ball off a 22-metre drop out by Pollard near the halfway line and wasted no time in returning the drop kick straight through the posts to bring the score to within 2 points.

    Then, for his final trick, with just about the final kick of the game, he lined himself up for another drop goal attempt at around the same mark near the halfway line, this time to snatch back the lead for Ireland and win the game. A sensational recovery after being under pressure for majority of the second half and somewhat of a punch in the face for the World Champions after doing so well to wrestle back the command of the game.

    What a moment from one of the next in line to take over from Retired Legend, Johnny Sexton.