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  • Cruel for Croatia as Italians Illuminated

    Cruel for Croatia as Italians Illuminated

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Getty Images}

    {contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

     

    Croatia just got brutally dumped out of the Euros tournament with a last-minute goal in the 8th minute of injury time (90min +8) from a wonderful finish by Mattias Zaccagni.

    Croatia had initially taken the lead through their captain, Luka Modric, who, after a good save by the Italian keeper, Donnarumma, showed good poacher instincts by finishing off the rebound. Modric, who had earlier missed a chance to give Croatia the lead from the penalty spot, had taken the moment only minutes in a bid to make amends for his error and gift his country a place in the knockout stages. This probably being the Croat’s last tournament, it seemed written in the stars that he should receive such a fairytale moment as the dream lived on. The Italians, however, had other plans.

    Just as the referee was pursing his lips to blow on the tip of the whistle, Italian Centre back Riccardo Calafiori picked the ball in his own half, and, as though fed up with his own team’s attackers’ constant failure to create chances, proceeded to carry it all the way into the Croatia penalty are. There, he laid it off to Zaccagni, who curled the ball expertly into the top corner to seal Italy’s spot in the knockout rounds and send Croatia packing.

    Delight for the Italians meant Heartbreak for the Croats.

    Elsewhere, an early goal by Ferran Torres was enough to secure victory for Spain as they maintained their perfect start to the Euros campaign, maintaining their top of the table status. They sail through to the knockout stages having won every single group game, scored 5 goals and conceded none.

    I’m sure many people have them as their favourites.

     

     

  • England Route USA to book place in Semis

    England Route USA to book place in Semis

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by mykhel}

    contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com

     

    England absolutely demolished USA in their last group game of the second group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup to set up a semi-final against India.

    The USA, the host nation, batted first and could only muster up 115 runs before all 10 wickets were bowled out after 18.5 overs. The highlight of the round, and probably the weekend (if not the whole tournament) was definitely Chris Jordan, not only getting a hattrick of back-to-back-to-back wickets but getting USA’s last 3 wickets during their inning. Like respectfully digging the grave in which they were to be buried.

    But that wasn’t the final nail in the coffin. No, that honour went to England Captain, Jos Buttler and fellow batsman, Phil Salt as they cruised through their innings without enduring a single stump. Jos Buttler ended on 83 runs with Salt finishing them off with a boundary which brought him up to 25 runs, after a mere 9.4 overs.

    England won by 10 wickets.

    Elsewhere, India got their revenge against Australia after beating them in their last group game by 20 runs to secure their passage through to the semi-final and set up a clash against England. South Africa and Afghanistan make up the remaining 2 spots for those vying for the ultimate title.

  • Heartbreak for Coleman at the Olympic Trials

    Heartbreak for Coleman at the Olympic Trials

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Ken Browne (Olympics.com)}

    Former 100m sprint world champion, Christian Coleman, narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2024 summer Olympic Games in Paris.

    The American, who holds the record for the 60m indoor sprint word title, was one of the favourites to go through to represent the United States at the Olympics.

    He had a strong semi-final performance, which he won comfortably in a time of 9.86sec, setting up yet another final showdown with his compatriot and current world champion, Noah Lyles (Who had won his own semi-final). He took his place on the starting blocks alongside a relatively quick field with every competitor having gone through with a sub-10sec sprint time, including the 18-year-old high schooler, Christian Miller.

    As the gun fired, Coleman shot out the quickest and he was well clear of the track up to the 50m mark. However, this seems to have come at a cost as he appeared to gas out pretty early in the race giving the other competitors the opportunity to reel him in, which they did. First came, Noah Lyles in 9.80sec followed by Kenny Bednarek (9.87) and Fred Kerley (9.88). Coleman was next in 4th with a time of 9.93sec and misses out as only the top 3 athletes would qualify for the Olympic games. The 18-year-old, Christian Miller, was 5th with a time of 9.98sec.

    This means that this is the first time in 7 years Coleman has failed to book a seat to represent his country.

    This could be something to ponder for Omanyala, because did Christian Coleman- his nemesis- miss out simply because he wasn’t quick enough or because the rest of the field was just that much faster?

  • Füllkrug levels it at the death to spare German Blushes

    Füllkrug levels it at the death to spare German Blushes

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by cumhuriyet}

     

    Germany, the host nation, was looking to roundoff a successful kick-off to the Euro 2024 tournament in front of their home fans at the Frankfurt stadium in Frankfurt. It was all goin according to plan for new manager Julien Nagelsmann. However, they failed to account for an inspired performance from a dogged Switzerland side that was determined to, not only spoil the party in the stadium, but also finish top of the group standings in Group A.

    This is why there was a well taken finish by Dan Ndoye in the 28th minute game time, giving Switzerland the lead. And why, try as they might, the Germans just couldn’t break down the resolute Swiss defense. And why in the 80th minute, Switzerland mustered a deserved 2nd goal only for it to be ruled out for the tightest of offside calls. The home crowd was stunned. It was silent enough in the home end to hear the sneeze of a hamster. They couldn’t understand how it is they had miscalculated proceedings so terribly.

    That is about the time when the German manager made an executive decision and subbed in their wrecking ball of a center forward, Niclas Füllkrug, who- in the last minute of injury time (90min +4)- crashed in a towering header to draw the game level at 1-1 and send the stadium into rapturous delirium.

    Germany retained top spot (of the group) while Switzerland came second.

    Hungary secured 3rd spot after Kevin Csoboth scored against Scotland in the 10th minute of injury time (90min+10) in what seemed like an attempt at outdoing Germany’s own heroics for a 1-0 win, and in so doing, left themselves with half a chance of progressing to the next stage.

    Scotland are the first team to be kicked out of the tournament.

  • Southgate on thin Ice?

    Southgate on thin Ice?

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Getty Images}

    {contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

     

    England National Team Manager, Gareth Southgate, has once again been called out for the lack of urgency in his team’s style of play. After, shall we say, escaping with a point against Denmark, a good team on its own merit but a team most would’ve expected England to beat nonetheless, the dissatisfied clamor amongst the English fanbase is almost palpable from about 8,000km away here in Kenya.

    Having mentioned before the start of the tournament that it could very well be his last chance to win something for his country, one would’ve half expected the home support to be behind him; One Last Dance, as they say…

    But no. The English fans are as vocal about their opinions of him as ever, and they are not pulling any punches.

    And we’re only two games in.

    You love to see it.

  • Nǐ hǎo, wǒ de míngzì shì

    Nǐ hǎo, wǒ de míngzì shì

    by Ben Ayuko

    contact info: benayuko@gmail.com

    {image by gettyimages}

     

    Over the last decade there has been a very noticeable growth in Chinese presence in our country.

    As Moses Wetang’ula, speaker of the National Assembly, once said, “China is a signatory to almost every major infrastructure project in Kenya…” And well, it doesn’t seem like slowing down any time soon.

    -There is of course the Confucius Institute that launched in 2006 at the University of Nairobi after the then President of China, Hu Jintao, paid Kenay a visit. Its aim was/is to help merge Chinese culture with Kenyan culture. They even teach the students kung fu. {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOtpytrCBGs&pp=ygUpY29uZnVjaXVzIGluc3RpdHV0ZSB1bml2ZXJzaXR5IG9mIG5haXJvYmk%3D}

    -There was the 50km long Thika superhighway in 2012.

    -The construction of the Standard-Gauge Railway line (SGR) in 2017- a billion-dollar project that has become such a normal part of Kenyan Life.

    -The Express Way which was completed in 2022 is probably the latest mammoth project that has been undertaken by Chinese contractors, though there’s definitely more to come.

    Now, obviously, this isn’t everything. These are some of the higher profile projects that Chinese companies such as China Wu Yi, Sinohydro and Shengli Engineering have procured multiple contracts for all over the country, e.g. building apartments, malls and offices in Meru Town as well as the Coloho Mall in Athi River {Zhong-Wu}

    -They are also involved in the automobile industry whereby companies like BYD and NETA are trying to normalize the concept of electric cars in Kenya in order to reduce our carbon emissions and preserve the environment.

    -They are involved in our farming as well. Jianguo Liu {Jack Liu} is the man who introduced the concept of Juncao Grass or Magic Grass as the farmers call it. It earned its name because of the extra-ordinary advantage it has over normal Napier grass. It is a drought tolerant and stress resistant grass that produces almost double the yield in milk and meat on the animals it is fed to. It also has a longer shelf-life than normal fodder that farmers usually feed their livestock. It is also useful in fighting soil erosion. Basically, this grass is slowly revolutionizing how farmers go about managing their product. {Juncao Grass .The Best Solution to Mitigating Fodder Availability @kenyacitizentvContacts 0752600777 (youtube.com)}

    As the years pass, the Chinese influence in our culture is slowly becoming undeniable. Who knows? In 50- or 60-years’ time, Kenya might have 3 national languages.

  • I Know I Shouldn’t

    I Know I Shouldn’t

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Cornell Chronicle}

     

    I feel like if I, acknowledge the past

    it means that it happened, that it will out last

    If I were to hide, from it in a pit

    It wouldn’t have meaning, nothing to admit

     

    But who it affected, would not just abide

    from out the woodwork, they’d emerge alive

    to keep me accounted, counting my sins

    making me witness, again and again

     

    If I were to ask, forgiveness from they

    I would be admitting to my past mistakes

    and that would mean, indeed they were right

    how could I sleep with myself tonight

     

    No, I know better, planned it out well

    I’ll take them out, to dine and to dwell

    a wonderful night, out in the city

    with banter to laugh at, funny and witty

     

    Till it’s getting late, so get in the car

    I’ll drive them home, ill drive them far

    I’ll take them where, they can’t see no human

    I’ll take them there because they know too much

     

    Bury them deep, right next to my secrets

    With skeletons rotten and they’re holding them dearest

    And now I can act, like it didn’t happen

    Back of my mind, where they must reside in

     

     

  • The Million Pound Note

    The Million Pound Note

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by MGM}

     

    This is one of Mark Twain’s classic stories

    Henry Adams is an American Sailor who finds himself stranded in the middle of England without a penny to his name. He struggles to find work because of his disheveled appearance. Nobody thinks of him as anything more than a crook. A hustler. A fiend waiting to take advantage of them the moment they show him a hair’s breadth of trust. This is unfortunate for him, but incredibly fortunate for Roderick and Oliver Montpellier.

    Roderick and Oliver are 2 billionaire brothers who are having a heated debate. Roderick figures, if you give a poor man a million-pound note, he would have found trouble spending the money as nobody would be able to break it down. Oliver, on the other hand, believes the mere existence of the note would be enough to change the poor man’s life and he wouldn’t need to spend a penny to get anything he wanted. Roderick and Oliver can’t seem to agree with each other’s point of view. But they have no way to test their hypotheses. That is, until Henry Adams walks into their lives.

    They commissioned a million-pound note from the bank and gave it to Henry. The only rule they gave him was that he had avoid spending any money in the next 30 days. Succeed, and they would give him anything he wanted (a job). Fail, and they’d take whatever remained and throw him back out on the street. Now, why did they do this? Why give a desperate man a million pounds and dare him not to spend it? Well, what else is there to do when you have everything you could possibly want for and still are a billionaire?

    So, Henry goes out into the world. The first thing he does is satiate his stomach. He’s famished. Immediately there’s a problem. the meal costs approximately £10. He only has a million-pound note. The moment he shows it to them, these men who once threw him out for being too poor to eat at their restaurant suddenly changed face and became the most benevolent of creatures that ever-walked the earth. His entire bill for the meal was ripped up as a man of his standing would surely sort them out in the long run.

    This was the case everywhere he went. He got clean clothes, a room at the most expensive Hotel. A rental car with a driver, etc., because of the reputation he now commanded. He became the most popular man in town. He could alter the value in the stock market with an accidental slip of the tongue. And this is where his problems began.

    It is a very sombre satire on the line that divides the lives of those with and those without. On the power of perception.

  • Team Kenya

    Team Kenya

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by @Teamkenya/x.com}

     

    Team Kenya to represent our country at the Olympics has been finalized. It contains 37 members {22 Men and 15 Women} all spread out across 16 events.

    Notable inclusions include Ferdinand Omanyala representing our country in the 100m; he’ll be looking to achieve his first ever medal on the world stage as well as Kenya’s first ever podium finish in the 100m event on the grandest of stages.    

    Another is Eliud Kipchoge. After he broke the internet with the INEOS challenge, Kipchoge will be looking to make even more history when he represents our country in the Marathon.

    Samuel Gathimba is another inclusion just for the absurdity of it. I mean, obviously I wish him the best of luck, I just didn’t know we had any contestants representing us in the Race-Walking event.

    Faith Kipyegon, the current defending Olympic Champion and World Record Holder in the 1500m, is also going and she is sure to give us something to cheer about from here at home.

    Beatrice Chebet, who has been described as “sweet and humble in person, but a lioness on the track”, just recently shattered the world record in the 10,000m and she will surely be aiming for some more fireworks at the Olympic Games. Of course, she will be coming up against Faith Kipyegon in the 5000m, so that rivalry might be something to watch on the day.

    Those are just some names to watch out for, but really, we should watch out for all of them and give them all the support they deserve when the time comes.

  • Fatal Mistake

    Fatal Mistake

    by Ben Ayuko

    {image by Nation Media}

     

    She was so spent at the end of the day

    She spent it all, with patients and patients

    And patients became, faceless, the same

    screaming in unison, “I need a doctor”

     

    So, write up a chart, she did this for him in

    Sent him to the back where they’re waiting for him

    “Really? it’s just my hand feeling pain here

    but the doctor’s the doctor, so I have to adhere

     

    But the doctor’s so tired, from working all day

    He’s feeling so drowsy, really needs to lay

    Stripping him down so in scrubs she can dress him

    To get him to surgery for his hand swelling

     

    Enter the theatre, the doctors are ready

    Give him anesthetic, he sleeps like a baby

    Envious, when feeling, they get down to drilling

    and sawing his skull open for the revealing

     

    “This guy is clean, are we sure he’s sick”

    “Yeah, they said that the clot was this thick”

    “Where is his chart, where was it again?”

    “DOCTOR, STOP OPERATING ON HIM!”

     

    In rushed the nurse, too late she was

    The man’s skull cracked open, bleeding on the floor

    “This man on the table, who you’re addressing

    He came to hospital only for a swelling”

     

    “What do you mean? So where is my patient?”

    “Recovering. Now. On his own. It’s amazing

    Seems like he won’t even need operating”

    “Jesus, we’ve cut this man open for nothing”

     

    Patching him up, and sending him home

    They waived the fee, that’s what he was told

    He couldn’t remember, not a lot of it

    Of course, this was just the start of this habit

     

    3 years of pain, delusion and memory

    lapse, of way too many episodes that

    remained after the incident

    And they didn’t know no-one reached out to them

     

    Not till it was too late, were they to have found

    Not till his future was buried in the ground

    Not till he’d succumb to the consequence of it

    Did they find the truth of what really had happened

     

     

     

    Family of patient wrongly operated on at KNH want justice for their son (youtube.com)