Author: Bonface Osano

Kenyan Premier League side Sofapaka have renewed their partnership deal with betting firm Betika. The one-year-deal worth Kshs35 million was inked on Wednesday. The move is good news at a time most KPL teams are struggling financially since the departure of the league’s title sponsor, SportPesa. Read: Sofapaka Sack American Coach Melis Medo Over Poor Performance “Sponsors are an important aspect for our game and you know the difficulties we’ve faced. I want to thank Betika for sticking around, not only in football but in promoting talents across the country,” Sofapaka boss, Elly Kalwekwa, said. He added: “Betika and Sofapaka…

Goalkeeper David de Gea is a doubt for Manchester United’s Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday after coming off injured on Spain duty. The 28-year-old appeared to hurt his hamstring during his country’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Sweden. He was replaced by Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga after an hour in Stockholm with his side trailing 1-0. Read: Phil Neville Calls For Social Media Boycott Following Racial Abuse Against Paul Pogba An injury-time Rodrigo equalizer earned a 1-1 draw and secured Spain’s spot at the Euros. De Gea’s injury came in innocuous circumstances – he immediately grabbed the back of his…

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack is back in the country after a week long vacation in Finland. Polack oversaw today’s training at Camp Toyoyo in Jericho. https://twitter.com/FCGorMahia/status/1183672595134255104?s=19 K’Ogalo face Kariobangi Sharks in a Kenyan Premier League week six match at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday. Read: The Shameful State Of Kenya’s ONLY Stadium, The Kasarani Stadium (Video) The defending champions are undefeated – registering four wins in four outings. They currently top the league with 12 points. Gor Mahia were last week Wednesday paired against Daring Club Motema Pembe of the DRC in the CAF Confederation Cup playoffs round. The first…

This past weekend was arguably the greatest in Kenya’s sporting scene in a very long time. The power of sports as a unifying factor manifested in unmatched fashion as our gallant men and women of sports brought us joy and pride. If you ever doubted that sports is our strongest selling point to the world, even more than coffee and tea, then clear your head. The amazing week started on Tuesday when Kenya women’s football team, the Harambee Starlets, edged out fancied Black Queens of Ghana 1-0 on aggregate at the Kasarani Stadium, to progress in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics…

Harambee Stars lost 1-0 to visiting Mambas of Mozambique in a friendly played at the Kasarani Stadium on Sunday. Second-half substitute Canhembe Amancio scored the lone goal in the 68th minute. Amancio, who appeared to come from an offside position, netted the goal with panache. The player nicknamed Neymar, after the Brazilian and PSG star, dispossessed Harambee Stars defender, went past Joash Onyango before coolly chipping the ball past advancing goalkeeper Faruk Shikhalo. Read: Kenya Ordered To Pay Former Harambee Stars Coach Adel Amrouche Sh108 Million For Wrongful Dismissal Kenya, who started the game brightly, missed many open chances with…

Paula Radcliffe’s world marathon record, which has stood imperiously for over 16 years, has been obliterated by Brigid Kosgei at the Chicago marathon. The 25-year-old Kenyan ran 2:14:03 to beat Radcliffe’s best of 2:15:25 by an astonishing 81 seconds. The whispers all week in Chicago had been that Kosgei was intending to make a serious assault on Radcliffe’s time. In cold and sunny conditions – perfect for the marathon – she knew the attempt was on, especially when the winds died down on Sunday morning. Read:Eliud Kipchoge Makes History, Beats The 2 Hour Marathon Barrier Kosgei immediately set out her…

Kenya women’s rugby sevens team, the Lionesses, have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after reaching the final of the Africa Women’s Sevens Championship in Tunisia on Sunday. Kenya, who are the defending champions, beat the hosts 19-0 in the semis to book a direct ticket to Japan for the summer games. Read: South Africa’s All Time Scorer Cecil Afrika Drafted In Blitzbok Team For Safari 7s They will play arch-rivals South Africa in the final later today as they bid to defend their title for the second time on the bounce. The Lionesses are yet to taste defeat in…

That our politicians are the most polarizing and sports the single most unifying factor in the country is never in doubt. We can also agree, to a greater extent, that compared to politicians, who most, if not all, are shameless opportunists, sportsmen and women are hard-working and honest. You see, in sports, you can seldom fake it, you are either talented and hard-working enough to be at the top or not, but in politics, especially in the Kenyan set up, you can cheat your way to the highest office without blinking an eye and once you are up there, successfully…

Experienced playmaker Cecil Afrika leads the South Africa squad that will be in Nairobi for the Safari Sevens taking place from 18th to 20th October at the RFUEA Ground. Afrika, a Blitzbok mainstay since debuting on the Sevens World Series during the 2009/2010 season, is South Africa’s all-time points scorer, having amassed a total of 1,440 points, a statistic that places him sixth overall on the Sevens World Series all-time list. Experienced Sevens World Series campaigners Siviwe Soyizwapi, Stedman Gans and Selvyn Davids are also part of the travelling party as the Blitzboks seek to leave Nairobi with the 27kg…

Jacques Tuyisenge got off the blocks with his first goal for Petro de Luanda on Saturday two-months after switching from Gor Mahia. The 27-year-old Rwandan neatly connected home a left cross for Petro’s second goal against Cuando Cubango FC in Girabola, Angola’s top tier league. https://twitter.com/bonfaceosano/status/1183280601048276992?s=19 He thanked his coach, Tony Cosano, for believing in him. Read: Ex-K’Ogalo Hit Man Jacques Tuyisenge Begins Life With Angola’s Petro Atletico (Photos) https://twitter.com/Tuyisenge250/status/1183127191367929857?s=19 Petro currently occupies the 6th position on the Girabola log after 6 matches with 11 points, 4 off arch-rivals Primeiro de Agosto. Read Also: Angola’s Petro Atletico Offers Gor Mahia…

After Eliud Kipchoge’s record shuttering run in Vienna, Austria,  in which he proved that ‘no human is limited’ by running a marathon under two hours on Saturday, attention now shifts to the Harambee Stars, who face Mozambique in a friendly match today at the Kasarani Stadium. Stars will also be stepping out against the back drop of their women’s counterparts, the Harambee Starlets, beating Ghana on Tuesday to progress in the 2020 Olympics qualifiers. The national men’s football team has been in camp since the beginning of the week — preparing for the 4.00pm kick-off match and the head coach…

Arsenal defender David Luiz is in Rwanda together with his wife to promote “Visit Rwanda” campaign. The 32-year-old Brazilian arrived in the tiny but ambitious East African nation on Thursday and will joined later by his mother. He has so far met and held talks with President Paul Kagame, whom he presented with an Arsenel jersey. According to Rwanda tourism board, Luiz will travel to Volcanoes National Park to see endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat as well as meet with young Rwandan players and fans in Kigali to exchange experiences and tips. The board signed a marketing deal…

Liverpool duo Firmino and Sadio Mane put up a remarkable show for their respective national teams, Brazil and Senegal, in a friendly on Thursday in Singapore. Firmino netted the opener for the Seleção, finishing with a chipped effort from Gabriel Jesus’ pass, but Senegal were level just before half-time thanks to Famara Diedhiou’s penalty, following Marquinhos’ foul on Mane. Both sides had opportunities to win the glamour friendly but Senegal will likely be the more peeved side regarding the result, having seen Mane hit the post with just five minutes remaining. Brazil are now without a win in three games,…

Gor Mahia have moved from position 24 to 19 in the latest CAF club ranking with 296 points. K’Ogalo are the only ranked team in the country. The ranking was based on the results in the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup and updated over the matches from the second round by a system of increasing points each season since 2009. Only Simba SC (20) are above Gor Mahia in the East African region. Gor Mahia have been rising steadily in the continental scene and have made it to the group stages of the Confederation Cup back to back…

Iranian female fans were for the first time in about 40 years allowed to watch the men’s national team play a World Cup qualifier in Tehran on Thursday. Close to 3500 of them were granted entry into Azadi Stadium to watch the clash against Cambodia which Iran won 14-0. However, they were restricted to a women’s only section in the stadium. FIFA, football’s global body, hailed the move to allow women into the stadium to watch a men’s game as a “positive step forward” and as “the beginning of a journey” of progress. “This is a very positive step forward,…