Magharibi Michezo Awards Launched

The first edition of the Magharibi Michezo Awards (MMA) has officially been launched.

The awards which will endeavor to reward leading lights, mentors and upcoming sports talent from Western Kenya was launched at Clarion Hotel in Nairobi and graced by Noah Wanyama, the father of Southampton and Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama.

Speaking during the launch, MMA Chairman Michael Kwambo recognized the contribution of the region on Kenya’s sporting arena saying, “Over the years Western Kenya has been the cradle of Kenyan sports. Year after year the region has churned out several sporting heroes that have represented the country across all sports spectrum.” 

The awards will recognize outstanding talents in the fields of volleyball, rugby, hockey handball, basketball and football, among others.

The first edition of the awards will be held at the Mashariki Afrika Sports Leadership School in Bungoma County on Friday 20 December 2013. Future events will see interested counties within what can be clustered as West Kenya bid for hosting rights. It is envisaged that the MMAs will grow to include other counties such as Kisumu, Siaya, Kisii, Kericho, Trans- Nzoia which are in the vicinity and when clustered with these four can be loosely referred to as West Kenya.

During the launch, MMA received a shot in the arm from Victor Wanyama who contributed Ksh 50,000 which was presented by his father, Wanyama, a former AFC Leopards and Kenya legend.

Speaking at the event, the senior Wanyama said, "I am very proud of this initiative geared towards recognizing the sports talent from this part of the world. This is a very noble initiative and I call upon more well wishers and sponsors to come on board and ensure that this event grows to have a permanent place on the Kenyan sporting calendar." 

Supersport also came to the aid of the inaugural awards, donating PVR decoders which will be given to some of the top performers. Others who chipped in include Nairobi lawyer Edwin Sifuna, CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye and leading football match official Nasur Doka.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Champions League last 16: Manchester City Draw Barcelona as Arsenal Clash with Bayern Munich

The draw for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League has brought out some mouthwatering pairings. English Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester City have landed themselves tough matches in Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Arsenal will face reigning Champions Bayern Munich who topped their group which had Manchester City, Ajax and Celtic while Manchester City will travel to the Nou Camp for the first time in their history to face Barcelona.

Manchester United have gotten a fairly easy draw in Olympiakos Piraeus while Ligue 1 behemoths PSG have landed a tricky tie in Bayer Leverkusen. AC Milan who just squeezed into the last 16 face Atletico Madrid while 9-time champions Real Madrid will be the favorites in the two-legged fixture against Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had earlier expressed his wish that they draw Didier Drogba’s Galatasaray and the ‘Special One’ got his wish as the Blues will face the Turkish giants in the knockout stages. 

Zenit St Petersburg will clash against last season’s losing finalists Borussia Dortmund. The first legs will be played on February 18/19 and 25/26 with the return legs slated for March 11/12 and 18/19.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

European Leagues Review: Man City Rout Arsenal, Liverpool Thump Tottenham, as Monaco Piles Pressure on PSG in French Ligue 1

ENGLAND

Liverpool and Chelsea both collected wins that saw them close the gap at the top to only two points. With Arsenal being the latest team to get a proper hiding at the Eitihad against Manchester City, the Eastlands outfit winning 6-3, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea won against Tottenham and Crystal Palace respectively to close the gap on Arsenal. The Blues survived against a determined Crystal Palace side to collect a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridger while a Liverpool side lacking the services of their engine, Steven Gerrard, destroyed Tottenham 5-0 at White Hart Lane. Luis Suarez netted twice with Jon Flanagan scoring his first senior goal for the Reds. Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling were also on the scoresheet. Meanwhile Manchester United got back to winning ways with a 3-0 win at Aston Villa. Danny Welbeck scored twice while Tom Cleverly also netted in a game won in the first half. Everton continued their impressive form beating visiting Fulham 4-1 to keep up to pace with the top four. West Brom lost 1-0 at Cardiff City, a result that lost Steve Clarke his job at the Hawthorns. Relegation threatened Sunderland and West Ham played to a barren draw.

SPAIN

Real Madrid lost ground on leaders Barcelona after fighting to a 2-2 draw at Osasuna. Los Blancos came from 2-0 down to nick a point with Isco pulling one back before Pepe headed in the equalizer for Madrid who played as 10 men following Sergio Ramos’ red card. Neymar scored twice for Barca in a 2-1 win at the Nou Camp against Villareal to open a 5 point gap between them and nemesis Madrid but Atletico Madrid joined the Blaugrana at the top after trouncing Valencia 3-0. Seville moved to 7^th in spite of a 1-1 draw against Athletico Bilbao who consolidated fourth position. Bottom side Real Betis were thumped 5-1 by Champions League chasing Real Sociedad while Almeria shared a point with Espanyol.

GERMANY

Bayern Munich made it 14 wins in 16 Bundesliga matches after trouncing Hamburger SV 3-1 at the Allianz Arena. Marion Mandzukic put the Bavarians ahead 3 minutes before the interval before Mario Gotze turned in an assist from Thiago Alcantara. Pierre Michel Lasogga pulled one back for Hamburg to set up a tense finale but a Xherdan Shaqiri goal in the third minute of added time extinguished the fire out of Bert Van Marwijk’s side. Borrusia Dortmund fell further behind the Bundesliga leaders as they could only muster a 2-2 draw at Hoffenheim. Jurgen Klopp’s side were trailing 2-0 when Pierre Aubemayang found the back of the net just before the interval to halve the deficit. Lucasz Piszczek made it 2-2 in the 67^th minute but the Westfalenstadiom side could not find the winning goal as they dropped 12 points behind Bayern. Sami Hyypia’s Bayer Leverkusen also failed to pile pressure on the league leaders after they suffered a shock 1-0 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Bay Arena in Leverkusen. Marco Russ scored the only goal of the match for Die Adler who collected only their third win of the season.

ITALY

Seria A leaders Juventus continued with their fine winning run dismissing promoted side Sassuolo 4-0 in Turin on Sunday. Carlos Tevez plundered in a hat-trick and also assisted Federico Peluso’s goal as the defending champions collected their 8^th win in a row to open a 6-point cushion between them and second placed AS Roma who travel to Milan on Monday night. Inter Milan’s poor took a turn for the worse when they shipped in four goals against Napoli. Gonzalo Higuain, Dries Mertens, Blerim Dzemali and Jose Callejon all found the back of Inter Milan’s net in a 4-2 win that dropped the Nerazzurri to 5^th, two points behind 4^th placed Fiorentina who beat Bologna 3-0 in Firenze. Lazio and Torino both had an identical 2-0 win over Livorno and Udinese respectively while bottom side Catania collected their first point in four matches with a barren draw against Europa League chasing Hellas Verona on Saturday.  

FRANCE

The top 3 in French Ligue 1 had successful outings winning their matches against sides that are on the bottom half of the table. League leaders Paris Saint Germain won 3-1 at Rennes Thiago Motta opening the scoring in the 19^th minute before a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty made it 2-0 for the Ligue 1 financial behemoths. Romain Alessandrini drew one back for the hosts but Edison Cavani netted in stoppage time to give PSG the victory. James Rodriguez assisted Antony Martial and Layvin Kurzawa’s goals as Monaco made it five straight wins in a 2-0 triumph at Guingamp. Lille got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Bastia as Olympique Lyonnais and Marseille played to an entertaining 2-2 draw.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Kenya's Harambee Stars Win 2013 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup

Kenya’s Harambee Stars are this year’s GOTv Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup champions after emerging 2-0 winners over Sudan in the final played at Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday.

A goal either side of the half from man-of-the-match Allan Wanga secured Kenya their first Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup title since 2002. The victory meant even more for the Kenyan people on the day they were celebrating their 50th anniversary as an independent nation.

Wanga’s first goal came in the 35th minute, the AFC Leopards’ forward beating the Sudanese defence to a cross from Gor Mahia’s marauding defender David Owino before nodding in past a helpless Sudan keeper Abdelrahman Ali.

The match which was delayed for hours after Sudan officials and players were detained in their hotel for unpaid bills started with the hosts dictating the play. However, their long ball approach during the early minutes failed to trouble the Falcons’ backline led by Eltahir Elhag until the goal five minutes into the half hour mark.

Although 3-time champions Sudan looked a bit more dangerous after the interval, Wanga and Kenya put the game beyond their reach in the 69th minute. A well-engineered move on the right flank ended with AFC Leopards’ newly acquired player James Situma whipping in a cross for his would-be teammate Wanga who netted Kenya’s second goal of the game to send the hundreds of Kenyan fans who had braved the earlier rain into a delirium.

Stars wouldn’t be denied on the day as they easily saw off the rest of the time to win their 6th Cecafa Cup title, and first on home soil in 30 years.

Earlier in the day, guests Zambia took the runners-up spot after beating Tanzania 6-5 in a penalty shootout. The two teams had tied 1-1 in normal time sending the game into penalties where Chipolopolo keeper Joshua Titima emerged the hero with three penalty saves.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Tusker Air Show Festival Postponed

The Tusker Air Show Festival which was slated for this weekend has been postponed to the weekend of December 21st-22nd due to poor weather caused by the ongoing rainfall.

Aero Club Chairman Rob Linck said that safety for both participants and spectators was the primary concern after recent heavy rainfall caused several parts of Wilson Airport to be waterlogged.

“After reviewing the situation this morning, we decided that it would be best to postpone the Tusker Air Show Festival to next weekend due to the bad weather. For an event of this scale, safety for everybody involved is paramount and we didn’t want that to be compromised,” said Mr. Linck.

“We were hoping that the weather would clear up as the event drew closer but unfortunately that hasn’t happened. Hence we decided to play it safe and move it to next weekend,” he added.

Kenya Breweries Limited Managing Director Joe Muganda echoed Mr. Linck’s sentiments saying that safety is key.

“We want the public to enjoy this spectacle in an environment that is secure. With this in mind, Tusker and our partners Aero Club decided it would be best to reschedule the festival,” said Mr. Muganda.

Members of the public who wish to attend the festival can only purchase their tickets at the gate on both days of the event.

There will be displays by the Kenya Army and Kenya Air Force, Kenya Skydivers and a fly past by national carrier Kenya Airways and a race between a rally car driven by Kenya National Rally Championship driver Quentin Mitchell and a helicopter flown by former rally ace Marco Brighetti.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

CECAFA Cup Final Preview: Kenya Bracing for Sudan Test, Tickets Go on Sale

It will cost you Kshs. 300 for terrace and Kshs 500 for VIP seats when Kenya play Sudan in the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup final on Thursday evening.

The CECAFA 2013 Local Organizing Committee released the ticketing information for the match which will be played at Nyayo National Stadium at 5pm.

Kenya booked their slot in the final for the second consecutive time after edging out neighbours Tanzania 1-0 in the semis played at Nyayo on Tuesday evening. Sudan on the other hand dismissed guest team Zambia 2-1 in extra time to enter the final for the first time in 6 years.

The tickets will be sold in Nakumatt Supermarkets, at the Nairobi Cinema and in Riadha House.

Kenya will be gunning for their 6^th triumph in the regional tournament as Sudan go for their 4^th title. Harambee Stars last won the title in 2002 when the tournament was held in Tanzania. Since then, they have lost two finals both in Ugandan soil and against the Cranes last year and in 2008.

They topped their group, albeit through a toss, to set up a quarterfinal clash against Rwanda, a match they won 1-0 through a 56^th minute penalty from Joakins Atudo. Clifton Miheso’s 5^th minute tap in was enough to fend off the challenge of Tanzania in the semis.

Sudan have triumphed more recently than Kenya having lifted the trophy twice in a row in 2006 and 2007. Last year, they failed to advance past the group stage level after winning only one match in a group that was won by Burundi with Tanzania grabbing the runners-up slot.

However, they have turned on the style this year with entertaining attacking football that has won them plaudits from even the most biased of fans. They eased past Ethiopia 2-0 in the quarters setting up a semi final duel against Zambia, a match they put to rest in extra time with a 2-1 win.

This is will be first meeting between Kenya and Sudan in Nairobi after the 2011 LG cup where a goal each from Sudan’s Mohamed Musa and Abdel Kadir helped the Nile Crocodiles to a 2-1 defeat of the hosts. Kenya’s only goal came from Ajaccio’s Dennis Oliech.

Losing semi-finalists, Zambia and Tanzania will play the third-place playoff match before the final.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Tusker Air Show Festival on this Weekend

The 2013 Kenya Air Show festival is set for this weekend at the Wilson Airport. The event which was last held in 2002 is expected to attract thousands of visitors.

Rally driver Quentin Mitchell will be one of the star attractions of the aerobatics spectacle when he races head to head with a helicopter. 

Mitchell who finished third in the 2013 Safari Rally is driving a Subaru Impreza will test himself against former Safari Rally driver Marco Brighetti who will be flying the helicopter. 

“I’m looking forward to it. I enjoy doing different things with my rally car and this race with the chopper is just one of them,” said Mitchell after a practice run at Wilson Airport on Wednesday. 

Brighetti who is also the owner of KIDL helicopters said that his much anticipated race with Mitchell will be different from his previous rally outings. 

“Racing above the car gave me a whole new perspective on rallying. It’s a very exciting experience racing against a great driver like Quentin,” said Brighetti who was a Safari Rally top ten finisher in 1993 and 1998.

Formula SR Pitts Special Aerobatics will also be a highlight at the show. 

The Pitts which will be flown by Mark Ross is a light aerobatic biplane that has dominated world aerobatic competitions since the 1960s and 70s. 

Other attractions include a Gyrocopter display flown by Bruce Field, a drone flying helicam to be manned by Graham Ray and a drop by the Kenya Skydivers. Kenya’s Armed Services will also make an appearance with the Kenya Air Force, Kenya Police Air Wing and Kenya Wildlife Service also taking part. 

A special appearance will be made by national carrier Kenya Airways with a fly past. Motorsports enthusiasts have another spectacle to look forward to with a race between a rally car and a helicopter. 

The future of Kenyan aviation will also be on display courtesy of the Kenya School of Flying and Pegasus Flying School. 

The two day event which is also part of the Kenya @ 50 celebrations is sponsored by Kenya Breweries Limited’s (KBL) flagship brand Tusker Lager and hosted by the Aero Club of East Africa through its sports wing Aerosports Limited. 

A festival village which will feature concerts and music entertainment throughout the weekend will be one of the highlights of the event. The festival village will feature some of Kenya’s best-loved artists.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Harambee Stars Face Sudan in CECAFA Finals

Thika United winger Clifton Miheso netted a 5^th minute strike which would prove to be the only goal as Kenya’s Harambee Stars booked a date in the finals of the ongoing CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup championship.

Miheso who had been drafted into the lineup to replace injured Jacob Keli pounced on a spilled ball by Tanzania’s keeper Ivo Mapunda who could only palm away a stinging shot from his Gor Mahia teammate and GOTV man-of-the-match Teddy Akumu.

The game which had to be moved from a rained off Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos kicked off at 7pm in an almost empty Nyayo National Stadium. Only the VIP stand had some fans who did their best to cheer Stars on in their quest to win the cup they last lifted in 2002.

Adel Amrouche’s Stars started the match the better side zipping the ball from one side of the pitch to the other with relative ease as the visitors struggled to get a grip of the game. A slippery pitch was always going to trouble the flow of football but Stars looked the more comfortable side even after taking the lead.

The defensive pairing of David Owino and Jockins Atudo won everything that came their way and were well protected by club rivals but national team darlings Akumu and Peter ‘Pinchez’ Opiyo. The highly impressive Ediwn Lavatsa was a mouthful for the Tanzania defence to handle, the lanky forward playing in a makeshift wing position where he looked pretty comfortable. He almost got behind the visitor’s backline on two occasions while Francis Kahata and Allan Wanga were a constant thorn as the half ended with Kilimanjaro Stars failing to trouble Kenya custodian Duncan Ochieng.

The second half began with Tanzania dictating the play as they looked for the equalizer. A moment of hesitation from Kenya keeper Ochieng almost led to goal when Frank Domayo’s freekick escaped everyone in the box but went inches wide. Mbwana Samatta almost broke Kenyan fan’s hearts with a stunning strike from 20-yards which rattled the post. With Kenya pinned almost in their own half, Tanzania got more adventurous but could not get the elusive goal as Kenya held on for a clean sheet and a slot in the final.

Harambee will meet 3-time champions Sudan in the finals. The Falcons edged out guest team Zambia 2-1 in extra time after the two teams played to a barren draw in normal time. With the scores still leveled at 0-0 at the end of the first half of extra time, Zambia took the lead in the 113^th minute through Ronald Kampamba.

However, Sudan hit back barely four minutes later with substitute Miaaz Abdelrahim findin the back of the net from a Amier Kamal cross. The winner came from Mohamed Abdelmonem who netted his fifth goal of the campaign to send the Nile Crocodiles to the finals and closer to their first title since triumphing against Rwanda in 2007.

Kenya and Sudan have never met in the CECAFA Cup final since it was rebranded in 1973. The final will be played at Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday December 12.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Steifmaster's Brace not Good Enough as KSJ Suffer Narrow Loss

Steve Suso ‘Steifmaster’ scored a brace for Kenya Sports Journalists (KSJ) but the scribes still slumped to a 4-3 capitulation at the hands of Maringo Bombers in a friendly match played at Ofafa Maringo grounds this past Sunday.

Ayoo put KSJ ahead in an entertaining end to end first half that had three goals to boot. KSJ began the proceedings with only ten men, a scenario that forced their TM Fred Maingi to abandon his smart-looking jeans and shirt for the red and white kit. Maingi’s first contribution on the pitch, however, was blatantly surrendering possession to the opposition with one of the faultiest starts you will ever see in the game of football.

Lucky enough, that would be his only contribution on the pitch as he got replaced barely ten minutes into the game by guest player Tobias Odhis. Maingi calmly walked off and dressed before taking his familiar position in the dugout.

The hosts started the match with real purpose perhaps wanting to play according to some script which dictated they score an early goal. They run the visitors ragged early on and their pressure bore dividends quarter way into the match after a well-worked move ended with the ball going past Vivian Akinyi, KSJ custodian. However, the hosts's celebrations were short-lived as a moment of individual brilliance saw Steve Obuya unleash one of his trademark 30-yard drives which found the back of the net in spite of the goalkeeper getting a desperate hand on it.

The game then went into a moment where it was played within yards of either side’s penalty area until at the half hour mark when Eric Opong Ochieng’s good work presented Ayoo with a chance which he couldn’t miss. The midfielder worked his way inside the penalty area leaving his markers for dead before drilling low and into the net. 2-1 to the Journalists and that is how the half ended.

Perhaps riled by the fact that they were trailing in their own backyard, the hosts recharged their ammunition in full throttle after the interval. After a series of sustained pressure, they drew level by breaking KSJ’s offside trap. The tough-tackling Bombers would then take the lead for the first time in the game when Ayoo turned villain after the ball accidentally hit his arm and the referee gave the hosts a penalty which was slotted in to put the game at 3-2 in favor of Bombers.

The game was almost abandoned thereafter following a plethora of bad officiating decisions, the highlight being a wrong offside call against Hamisi who was miles onside. Tempers flared with the referee getting some befitting tongue-lashing especially from Gregory Mulemi who was adorning the captain’s armband.

After so much hoo-ha and hogwash, the game was restarted and it was KSJ who got their feet running fast. Mulemi saw his stunning free-kick kiss the cross bar before Steifmaster scored his second after collecting a neat assist from Mulemi. He unleashed a vengeful belter that went in and left a round mark on the iron sheets behind the goalpost.

As minutes ticked by, it looked like the spoils would be shared, a fair result for either side given how the two teams had cancelled each other. However, the hosts took the lead again through a long strike that must have shaved off some hair off the head of Mulemi who deflected the ball past Vivian in goal. In all fairness, that was a goal worth winning any game.

With the scores at 4-3 in favor of Bombers, KSJ trooped forward in search of at least an equalizer and they thought they had gotten it when Ayoo was released by Mulemi for the umpteenth time but he saw his shot painfully cannon off the post. KSJ created three more chances, first Obuya forcing a good save from the opposition keeper before they were denied from what looked like a goal but which needed goal-line technology. The Scribes last effort on goal was an audacious 30-yard effort from Ayoo which was easily smothered by the opposition glovesman.

It was a great effort in deed from all the team members which included lady Sharon at right back, Kevo and Bob in central defence and Boni Kasembeli at left back.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

2014 FIFA World Cup Draw: England, Ghana Land Tough Pools

The draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was released on Friday bringing up some mouthwatering clashes. Hosts and five-time champions Brazil landed a fairly easy Group A where they will face Croatia, Cameroon and Mexico who breezed through after beating New Zealand in the intercontinental playoff.

Defending champions, Spain, will take on the Netherlands, who they beat in the final to win the 2010 World Cup as well as CONMEBOL outfit, Chile and Australia in Group B.

A very open Group C will see Colombia make their return to the World Cup since 1998 and they will face Greece, Asian side Japan and Ivory Coast. Group D is one of the toughest groups – perhaps alongside Group G. Uruguay, England and Italy headline the group which also has Costa Rica who qualified from CONCACAF. Two-time champions Uruguay needed a playoff against Jordan to qualify but will be among the favorites to work their way out of the group which has three former World Cup winners.

France, who needed grit to go past Ukraine in the UEFA playoff will start their campaign against Honduras in Port Alegre as the two other group members, Switzerland and Ecuador face off in Brasilia.

Group F features Nigeria and Argentina who will meet for the second time in the Group stages level after being drawn together in the 2002 FIFA World Cup which the South Americans won 1-0 courtesy of a 63^rd minute Gabriel Batistuta goal. The two teams will be favorites to advance from the group which also has debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran who are ranked 45^th in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be Portugal’s key man as they try to advance from a tough Group G which also has three-time champions Germany. The Real Madrid forward singlehandedly delivered the 2014 World Cup qualification spot to the Portuguese after netting a breathtaking hat-trick that locked out Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led Sweden out of next year’s showpiece. Africa will once again be looking at Ghana to deliver a performance akin to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where they reached the quarter-finals before losing out to Uruguay thanks in part to Luis Suarez’s infamous handball incident. However, it will need some performance to advance from Group G which has 1930 second runners up United States as the fourth member.

Belgium will be favorites to top Group H. The Western Europe side last made their appearance at the World Cup in 2002 before their golden generation which includes the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelo Lukaku, goalkeepers Simon Mignolet and Thibaut Courtois, Marouane Fellaini, Christian Benteke, Mousa Dembele and Axel Witsel among others secured them qualification. Other group members include Fabio Capello’s Russia, North Africans Algeria and South Korea.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup  will kick off in Brazil in June 12th where the hosts will take on Croatia in the opening match in Sao Paulo.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

2013 Stanchart Nairobi Marathon Raises Kshs 23 Million

The 2013 edition of the annual Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon raised Kshs 23 million, an increase from the Kshs 21 million realised last year.

The marathon, whose overall winners were Kenneth Mung’ara and Winfridah Kwamboka in the men’s and women’s 42 km respectively, attracted 21,000 people.

The proceeds raised came from both individual and corporate participants’ registration fees as well as cash donations. The funds raised at this year’s marathon will go towards supporting the Kenya chapter of the Seeing is Believing East Africa Child Eye Health project. 

Speaking at the cheque handover ceremony, Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive, Richard Etemesi said that this year’s marathon was even more successful than previous years despite the concerns around safety and security.

Etemesi said that “Seeing is Believing” was greatly boosted last year when the Bank committed to a further US$5 million towards child eye care in East Africa, covering Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 

The Seeing is Believing East Africa programme which aims to improve child health and reduce avoidable blindness among children in the region will indirectly benefit over 45 million children, the total estimated population of children in East Africa.

“In Kenya, through the Nairobi Marathon, to date we have raised over one million dollars. Through this initiative, we gave helped restore sight to over 5,000 children in Kenya through the hospitals as well as purchased state-of-the-art equipment for the beneficiary hospitals; constructed and refurbished eye care health facilities; provided training for eye care medical personnel to increase their capacity and improve delivery of services,” said Etemesi.

In October, during this year’s World Sight Day, Standard Chartered Group announced that it will donate USD20 million over the next five years to the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. The money will go towards funding eye care projects in Africa and India.

In Africa, these funds will be used to support a blinding trachoma programme across five African countries i.e. Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, and Nigeria. The programme will reach an estimated 3.6 million people in Kenya. Trachoma is the second leading cause of avoidable blindness in Kenya, with an estimated 7 million people at risk.

Next year’s marathon will be held on 26th October.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!