Friday, May 31, 2013

IT'S OUR FAULT, HELB ADMITS

By Stanley Kimuge

The Higher Education Loan Board (HELB), has admitted that there was a technical hitch in the disbursement of students funds. Through their facebook page, the lending body says they are currently resolving the issue with the university officers.

"Moi University students, there was a technical challenge on our side. The officers from your university are currently at our offices resolving the said issues regarding your helb loan", Read the statement.


Students had earlier on marched to administration, calling for their intervention over the delayed release of funds. The Deputy Vice Chancellor in Charge of Students Affairs, Prof. Nathan Ogechi, promised the students that a memo will be released on Monday.

VACATE FROM HOSTEL, COMFORT RESIDENTS TOLD

By Kinyua Njeri

The Deputy Vice Chancellor-in-charge of student affairs, Prof. Nathan Ogechi, has urged Comfort Hostel residents to sign out from their rooms and relocate to other hostels by this afternoon. This follows persistent blackouts in the hostel.

The students, who have been wallowing in relentless blackouts since the last two days were forwarded the ultimatum, following the failure of the Power's transformer and main electric circuits.


In the recent days, the Kenya Power has been trying to fix a blown
transformer, all in vain. This caused blackouts in Comfort and
neighboring hostels.

At the moment, many residents are moving to other hostels within the campus. However, the men have no choice as they have specified Hostels in C and D to occupy, which have been initially meant for First Years.

This has caused much revolt among the continuing students who argue that their will is overlooked. The relocation comes barely a month since they were moved from VeeCam hostels due to inconveniences caused by the power system.

With students from the School of Engineering clearing from their rooms, the affected residents are expected to occupy them. The engineering students are going for a holiday after completion of the second semester examinations.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

SOMEONE TELL ACACIA HOSTEL WORKERS...

By Elizabeth Asasha

Since the fire incident at hostel B that triggered massive opprobrium from the housekeepers, there has been a whiff of ostentatious ridicule elicited by casual workers of Acacia hostels. Statements like ‘ma-lawyer wako chonjo, si kama hawa’, ‘lawyers wanaelewa sheria’ among other discrediting utterances whilst running their daily errands have become an ear-splitting tune to our ears.

Yelping that lawyers understand law is as obvious as stating that layers know how to lay. There is a discernible logic behind people specialising in different purviews of academics and this should not be applied as a basis to loathe anyone in a dissimilar field. All the departments in the faculty of Human Resource Development are arguably of equal value with those of law school, both to the individuals and the nation. It is frantically improbable to have the whole world as lawyers.


Accidents are components of humanity and are inevitable. Throwing tantrums at your neighbour can never extinguish the blazing fire in your abode just as launching an attack or hatred will not reimburse you the loss. So don’t go pouncing on trifling mistakes as if they are the gravest ordeals to happen on planet earth.

Just so you know when the main switch went ablaze on Thursday afternoon, a female student helped out in fixing the smouldered wires. I reckon you’re grappling with the question of the course she partakes; she is a journalism student and doesn’t take electrical engineering on the side! Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? This is just to showcase the need to crash your blatant stereotypical mentalities and embrace an ad hoc approach to accidents and other uncertainties!

Bear in mind that human is to blunder. As cliché as it may sound, it still holds a niche in the English language.

HIGH PRICES OF VEGETABLES UNBEARABLE

By Verah Chepkorir

The untimely increase of costs at the university has made living conditions tougher. Students can’t take it anymore. The hiked prices at the `mama mbogas` or rather, the grocery, has made life in campus unbearable. To be precise, let me say that in hostel K, we don’t live, we survive.

I have no idea whether the people at Soweto and those in the `diaspora` are undergoing the same hardship. A bunch of ‘dhania’ costs Ksh. 10, an increase from 5 bob. ‘Sukuma wiki’ and cabbage in that tiny tube- like polythene bag cost Ksh. 10 as well. Leave alone the tomatoes, at kshs 10 EACH, they are the worst-tiny, unripe, unhealthy…I even lack words to describe them and really, they prompted me into writing this piece.


Sometimes I am taken aback. I am yet to believe that back home, a bunch of ‘dhania’, almost thrice the size of the ones at Hostel K’s grocery, costs Ksh. 5 each. A polythene paper full of tomatoes costs Sh.10. This means that I buy a tomato for a bob or even less than that. The same thing applies to onions and capsicum. How I wish they were non-perishable, so that I could carry a stock for the whole semester.

Then, I could save the money to buy myself a pair of boots, a trench coat, a dinner dress, and the list is endless. Don’t mind about the statistics and calculations that I am making, but ‘hii msoto jo…’ I am neither a miser, nor an economics student. Ni kutetea haki za masufferer. Adding to the fact that HELB loan takes too much time to be processed, I am made to believe that there is no group of students currently in support of HELB loan.

Cooking has recently become an expensive method, and hence, one will prefer having lunch at the school cafeterias and the so-called mess. It’s rather cheap. Some will cook one meal per day, just to save something for tomorrow. Some will make tea or coffee, accompanied by mandazi or chapati from the chips cafĂ©, just to adhere to the demands of their empty bellies. I won`t utter what the rest of the students do for a meal, no, let me withhold it for heaven`s sake. You may end up sobbing.

There is another class of people whose pockets will constantly read money no matter what. This is the group that includes Doghana and the other shopkeepers. They have their lunch in Hijaz, New Valley Hotel… name them. Ilhali wengine pesa zinawatoroka. Is there anyone among them who is willing to take action before the situation worsens?

SUSPECTED THIEF CAUGHT IN HOSTEL B

By Mohammed Doyo

A suspected thief escaped death yesterday night after hundreds of students attacked him. According to the university security office, the suspect a 23 yr old non-student was caught in hostel B while trying to open one of the rooms. The room occupant is said to have ambushed him in the act prompting him to alert other students.

Students responded by beating him ruthlessly for more than an hour when the security officers came to his rescue. The suspect sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to the dispensary for treatment.


Speaking to The 3rd Eye at the security office this afternoon, the suspect said he had accompanied a female student from Eldoret town only for her to abandon him upon reaching Main Campus. He says the situation he was in forced him to search for a place to spend the night thus ending up in Hostel B where he says students mistook him for a thief.

“I am not a thief. I am just a visitor who was looking for a place to spend the night” he says

However, a senior security officer has dismissed his claims saying they are untrue
“He is hiding information from us. How comes he only identified Hostel B as the suitable place to spend the night and not other hostels especially ones at stage?” He asked.

At the time of going to press, the suspect was undergoing interrogation at the security office waiting to be handed to the Kesses police station.

This is the latest of such a case. Barely a month ago, another non student was arrested while attempting to break into a room in the female hostel but was rescued by the security officers from angry students who wanted to lynch him.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

THE SMALL ME

By Esther Waweru

They say she is small, they go further and call her a class eight pupil but surely, a class four pupil would be a preferable name. She does not complain but rather, keeps it to herself and enjoys the fact that she is a senior and her greatness is yet to be tasted.

Like Zaccheus of the Holy Bible, The Small Me is indeed “small” in matters relating to faith and so she asks, is there a gentle person out there, who would do like Jesus did? Can she find a person of whom she can admire in matters regarding to faith and religion?


In an attempt to answer this simply defined question, in her mission to come across this angel, The Small Me encounters challenges. She meets people of different faiths, and she is ready to join any faith if only she gets the gentle person to utter these words, “Today salvation has come to your house”.

The Small Me gets disappointed at different scenes but despite her being small, she is strong not to lose hope. She meets an official in one of the different faiths around. Here, The Small Me smiles and tells her heart to relax for it has reached where it wished. But what happens? The Small Me gets disappointed by the ruthless handling she gets from this official. Immediately, The Small Me recalls the story of the rich fool in the Holy Bible.

Though small, The Small Me’s hope is big! She goes ahead, a different faith and wow! She meets another God-fearing brother. Here, she can see some light and instead of smiling like before, she laughs at the thought that she is finally “seen”. Honestly, it goes unopposed that The Small Me has now found the role model, the angel.

In an attempt to prove herself successful, The Small Me decides to follow the “role model” at night. And what? As surprised as she is, The Small Me only gets to know that the devil indeed works best in the dark.

The already seen “role model” does all the things The Small Me believes are evil. She therefore asks herself, “Where else do I turn?” Maybe you and I can assist The Small Me regain her already lost trust and hope in people.

What we all need to ask ourselves as The Small Me is: Do we really know how many souls look upon us? Do we surely understand our responsibilities to people and to God? Do we realize how many “Small Mes” need us? The Small Me has not yet reached where she wishes; she is still on her mission...

DO NOT DESPAIR

By Mohammed Duba

In the journey of life, one is bound to encounter storms, tribulations and challenges in a bid to achieve desired goals. Life wasn't merry for the ‘who-is-who’ in today’s world. The business tycoons, political bigwigs and talented footballers all beat odds to go down in the annals of history as heroes and heroines.

Though she was repeatedly abused sexually at a tender age, Oprah Winfrey runs the biggest TV show and ranks among the richest in the world. She never allowed her past to sabotage her dreams. She overcame the difficulties of life to be where she is today. Lionel Messi worked as a waiter in order to raise money for his training and today, his performance on the pitch is amazing. The accounts of successful men like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ben Carson and many more were constituted by a bitter past which they endured and used as a stepping stone to levels of excellence.


Success comes when you do what you love to do and get committed to being the best in your field. Yes, there are many amidst us who may be feeling low now. Life may not be appealing according to your expectation but a comrade’s journey will be filled with mountains to climb and there will be battles that you will have to fight. However, victory or defeat is upon you to decide. How can you expect to win if you never tried?

If you truly desire to succeed in life, then remember the value of time, the pleasure of working hard, dignity of simplicity, the worth of character and the power of kindness. Learn the obligation of duty and the influence and virtue of being a good example. Happy is the traveller who is able to discern the pitfalls in his path for he can avoid them. Know your weakness and transform it into strength and do not despair, for the light is just at the end of the tunnel.

FROM PUPPET TO PUPPETEER: PART 2

By Henry Adera

The other time I felt like kissing a lady friend with my fist, not because of a quarrel - no sir, but because of one ugly statement: “All men are the same.” Luckily, she’s the best friend I have in campus so far, so I couldn't put each of her teeth to be in business for itself. And then there’s another uglier one: “Men are dogs.” Haha…now what does that make women? Read beyond this line! This makes me freak out any time I come across a lady with a pet dog.

Then there is every type of female adviser everywhere: From Oprah Winfrey to William Dekker. “A real man should carry her woman’s handbag, massage her in the morning (err…I actually do this for my own good), cook for her…” The only thing they always omit is… “Hold her throughout the night in her hostel room” (Now my friend Lawi, I don’t dispute the fact that I spent my nights in Hostel J for a week. It’s simply because I'm taller than most beds in Moi, and there’s only one bed I could fit in at that time - in Hostel J).

What beats me is that after reading Oprah’s relationship manual word for word, most of our good ladies sit and wait for that ideal man, whereas Oprah’s tissue paper is literally made of dollar notes! This is the condition known to me as ‘being a celebrity’s puppet’ or ‘playing an executive fool.’ What if we could twist things a little bit, you know, by first understanding that angels only exist in heaven, and that there’s no marriage in heaven?

There are ladies in very stable and happy relationships, not that they are lucky or something, no, but because they understand that luck is a word for losers. Getting your head stuck in the “All men are the same” pot simply means you’re a puppet. You opened your life to many different men who didn't deserve you, messed up your body then got yourself rejected. After that, you decided to search for a scapegoat by forming a resistance cocoon around you and making it look legitimate by branding the “Men are dogs” rubber-stamp on its outermost layer.

Ladies are like apples. The good ones are found high up on the tree. Most men go for the ones nearest to the ground, simply because they are afraid of height. They take one or two bites then throw them away. The thrown apples then lay on the ground, waiting. No one picks them up. They end up giving rise to another tree, or being eaten by a ruminant.

On the other hand, the good ones on top of the tree wait, the man who likes quality climbs, picks them and takes them for processing. They come out of the factory refined, attractive and expensive. At this point every other man desires to have them but only one quality cautious man wins them over.

I simply suggest this to you, dear ladies. If you want an angel for a husband, make your ways right with the Lord Almighty, eat yourself to death then go to heaven and mark you, there’s no marriage in heaven as I stated earlier. Another alternative is to begin your relationship from scratch with that ‘baboon’, shave him clean, cut the tail, clip the nails and shape its lips and ears. Believe me at the end; it will entertain no one but you. It’ll bounce you in bed like a ball, love you and respect you.

Or better still, you can continue reading relationship manuals, wait for that kind of man you wish to have surface from the ground all your life while enriching the manual authors by buying every edition of theirs. When you are still single at 32, you’ll know what George Bush felt when he showed up in Vietnam!

"BE PATIENT OVER HELB ISSUE," URGES ADMINISTRATION

By Mohammed Doyo

The university administration has urged students to remain calm and wait as it resolves the HELB issue. Speaking at the administration buildings, The DVC in charge of student affairs said the university was working round the clock to ensure the funds were disbursed in time.

“We have been talking with the HELB Office about the release of funds. Two senior officers have been sent to Nairobi to continue negotiations with the loans body” said Prof. Ogechi.


He was responding to a group of over fifty students who had marched peacefully to the administration building today afternoon seeking audience with the institution’s top management.
The students had raised concern over what they described as reluctance by the authorities to ensure the HELB funds were disbursed.

“Third year students are suffering in campus. Two months after reporting back to school, they have not yet received the loan. The administration is the main link between the loans body and the students but has been doing little to see the funds are out” said one of the vocal students in the group.

The DVC promised to release a memo on Monday to inform the students of the decision reached at the HELB offices and the way forward.

In the past, HELB has expressed concerns over the unpredictable academic calendar in Moi University that has made it difficult for it to disburse funds on time. The loans body works on a fixed program that is drawn at the beginning of every financial year.

DIASPORA REDEFINED

By Kinyua Njeri

The word 'diaspora', when mentioned to Kenyans, brings a frenzy of its kind. It rekindles memories of those fortunate enough to explore the corners of the world. People think of their clansmen who changed their vernacular accent on earning a flight to the other worlds. (They call it the First World, while ours is relegated to the last position, the Third World. Since when did we have more than one world? And going by history, isn't our good old Gondwanaland the 1st World, being the cradle for mankind?) Well, the name is also given to Kenya's constituency number one!

Mind teasers aside. We in Moi know the semantic value of 'diaspora' better. We have got a better meaning that articulately fits our context. We know of the Houses, where about six Hostel J-sized rooms can be agglutinated to serve as one big family-sized room. Family? Yes, family. Or what would you call six people who live together in a room? Do not forget the stylish furniture, self-contained room with an in-built loo and a vegetable garden outside the bungalows.

Diaspora in Moi is also that place where you live in school, yet far from school. Tongue twisted? This is only possible in this university. You leave two kilometres from school, yet believe to belong together with others who live just ten strides from the lecture hall. Unfortunately, you cannot claim you're not in Moi because there's no fence in the campus to prove your argument.

Definitely, residents of this place are ever late for class. Not that they don't wake up early, far from that. They actually wake up earlier than any other person in the school thanks to the crowing of cocks and lowing of cows from neighbours, I mean
villagers.

They do this to avoid the 'Electricity Rush Hour'. That's what they call it there. You have to wake up earlier than the others so that your coil can at least hit a faint orange colour (the two phase circuit does not allow red) for you to have a meal ready. 'Rush Hour' can only be avoided by either waking up early or waiting until everyone else is asleep. During any other time, you can just test the heat of the coil by literally sitting on it!

When he gets a ‘Mbos‘ in Hostel K, many are the times he is mistaken for a worker. Who is this student who wears gumboots and parks a bicycle outside the hostel? Some actually beg assistance from him;'... haki utanitengenezea stima lini...?'

At the Students’ Centre, where he rests (not idles) after the two-kilometre walk to school, one can’t help but wonder about his soiled shoes. What else do you expect of someone who involuntary swam in mud while coming to class?

However s/he has the strongest bones, thanks to the hard water from the wells. Still, there’s no need for a gym to keep fit. The manual water-lifts serve him better, free, naturally and spontaneously. While using this water though, serious caution has to be taken to avoid ingesting filth from the confined hole. Extra soap to is needed to fight the hardness during laundry.

Those in the diaspora are always prayerful, that Pita Mashoka, that Master’s student who majors in Cranial Remoulding, dies before his graduation. He is a brute whose Fourth Year research project caused so much havoc that no one can ever wish to see his Master’s thesis.

So, next time, laugh not when you find a lady who is more muscular than you!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

ETHNICITY IN CAMPUS

By Michael Oduor

Why do you have to remind a person of his past? This has afflicted the tribal affiliations in our country recently. Even here in campus, the pathogens causing tribalism are vividly present. It is amoral for any individual to get involved in this choking and immature condition. It is classism if you segregate your fellow comrade because his roots are from Mombasa, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Siaya, Kesses or even Mandera. It is political injustice to casket yourself in such cocoons. Absolutely a great shame!

Basing my reasoning from the prevailing situation here in campus, it is not a surprise that students group themselves from ethnical grounds be it class groups or even socially. Who should be blamed for this? Are they our forefathers or us? It is a shame that Onyango and Kamau cannot be together simply because they have ideological differences and also parallel political interests. Just the other week I witnessed a duo fight from provocation. It started when subject A reminded subject B that he was a loser because she had victoriously won the last “paper”.


We should shun from such menace which can poison our relationships as comrades and also as Kenyans. Another scenario was when a very close friend of mine early this semester went to his club meeting only to realize that almost 90% of the club’s officials were from one particular tribe. I simply asked him, “Were they vetted and voted for?” our conversation then came to an end.

It is noble to be together in all situations that unify us. Be your brother’s keeper and also learn to protect him at all levels. We were made to believe by the Most High that LOVE is something which should be practised by every human being.

The situation in campus is getting out of control and appropriate steps should be taken to curb this situation. Normally when two bulls are fighting, grass suffers a lot while the herdsman enjoys it. It is to my opinion that we embrace the spirit of brotherhood just to promote good relations. If you keenly analyse reasons why the two parallel groups were fighting over the amendment of the constitution, it is simply because of two major reasons.

One reason was because of ethnicity of the former group in that there was over dominance of one major tribe. The other reason is a long one and will feature next time. It is not right to say that we have three major tribes and others in Kenya. It’s absolutely wrong!

We should repackage our conscience to learn to accommodate one another irrespective of tribe. Never be intractable to associate with others as this will erase cases of intrusion within Moi University community. Intolerant behaviour should also be pulled out of our diaries and insert “Amicus friendlier” characters. Together we will strive for excellence if we let comradeship peddle our struggle. Turn on the light and never let darkness bewitch you in the name of tribal ethnicity.

Monday, May 27, 2013

SIX GUYS YOU’LL MEET IN A LADIES’ HOSTEL

By Shiku Ngigi

I live in a room that offers a vantage point to Hostel K and L entrances. When I say Hostel K and L, I am referring to the ladies’ hostels, make no mistake. All the same, I will tell you about the men who frequent both hostels. That common joke about the number of men who’d emerge from either hostel in the event of a fire is very true. I will describe them to you, one by one. I will do this using Hostel L since what I see there is replicated in K. (You may think I have a lot of free time; I will let you be the judge of that.)

The PirateThe first guy is always carrying a backpack going in and out of Hostel L at any time of the day. He will always walk in and out alone, not escorted by his host; which makes me wonder what he is to the girl in that room exactly. Two possibilities; he has no room and lives the life of a wanderer. Two, he is one of those men who believe in the myth of the friend zone. He is just a friend who is contented with hanging out with the Hostel L occupant. Maybe one day, she will suddenly fall for him when it dawns on her that he was always there, whether there was chapati or managu for dinner.

The Husband

The second guy only walks into Hostel L when dusk is approaching, usually with or without his host beside him. He will later emerge in the dead of the night looking quite full and happy. The two lovebirds will stand between K and L and engage in a 10 minute talk (which makes you wonder why they did not just finish talking in the comfort of their room). A five-minute hug follows that could very well pass for another noun if it proceeds into the sixth minute. In another more common scenario, the guy will never emerge out of the hostel until late morning. He lives here after all.

The Hunter

The third guy is lost. He will walk into Hostel L and sit at that cement thing that resembles a bench at the entrance. He will sit there and just watch girls walking past him. Every once in a while, he will turn his attention to his Nokia and pretend to be doing something interesting with it. I always figure that either a girl stood him up by failing to be in her room (or simply locked the door from inside) at the time he showed or he just does not have anything to do with his spare time. He is also likely to be one of those guys who approach a girl and be all like “You look familiar” on her. “Can I have your number?”

The Musketeer

The fourth guy will never be alone. He will always walk with his partner in crime. He could have a second friend, to make them the Three Musketeers. They are a noisy lot these ones. They will walk in and proceed to the room of destination and terrorize the poor lady who had only cooked for two, herself and the guy. All for one and one for all! They are the skinny-jeans-wearing dudes with Mohawks, the ones who will tote huge but fake Beats by Dr. Dre headphones around their necks (which makes me wonder why they carry them in the first place if they will always be on their necks).

The StonedThe fifth guy, well, this guy is in his own world. He will stagger into the ladies’ hostel at hours past midnight. He will shout and scream profanities at no one in particular. He will break into a tune for good measure. There is likely to be a party accompanying him, supporting him when he loses his footing. He will sit on the dirty floor and refuse to move. He might even proceed to other floors in the Hostel, breaking bottles and banging on doors. He will ask his cohorts whether they have his phone; he needs to call his love. It will hit him that he has lost his tenth phone in the morning. Eventually, one of his people will convince him to go to bed after they have woken up an entire floor with their drunken gibberish.

The Executive

The sixth guy will never get into either Hostel K or L. If he is walking a lady back from wherever, he will end his journey outside at the bottom of those stairs. He is likely to be in a suit and tie. He will shake the girl’s hand and proceed to his other businesses. He is probably one of those guys who has an MPesa agent in his room, owns one of those businesses at stage and has a wife and kid at home. Or he will have a wife and kid very soon, since he is so focused. Maybe I will even be his wife, who knows?

AFRICA UNDER SCRUTINY: WHERE DO OUR GRADUATES DISAPPEAR TO?

By Isaac Meso

When I joined this nostalgic system of education almost two decades ago, my primary school teacher, Mr Karuku used to punish us so harshly us and when we asked why he did, he gave a vague explanation. He said we were offspring of a dark continent and that education was brought to us by the white man to bring light to our dark continent. By caning us we could appreciate the importance of education and thank the whites for bringing this ‘light’ to us.

Apparently today Africa is still referred to as the Dark Continent and ranked among the poverty-ridden continents in the world today. The number of graduates who have cleared from universities in Africa since I was a kid is just record-breaking and this number continues to rise with each passing day. The million dollar question therefore remains, if education was meant to bring ‘light’ to our continent, where do all these graduates disappear to once they hit the job market? Why haven’t we received this light in terms of development despite these graduates having been refined and repackaged to bring change and development once they are released into the corporate world.

After doing an in-depth analysis of the issue, three key factors emerged to have contributed to Africa remaining in the dark ages despite producing the best scholars the world could ever have.

Conformity to Status Quo
Conformity to status quo is one of the reasons our graduates haven’t brought the change and development our continent really yearns for. For instance take a graduate who has been employed in a company where simple ethics such as time management have been thrown out the window. Instead of this fresh graduate exercising the discipline of time management he/she learnt in a Human Resource class, he ends up following the same tradition set by fellow workers. This usually impacts negatively on productivity of a company and in the long run affecting country’s economic growth.

Corruption
Corruption has been named as the number one threat towards development in Africa. In Kenya, for instance, it has plagued almost every sector of economy. In fact I won’t be surprised if one day our President calls a press conference to declare it a national catastrophe. I will hail the TJRC report presented to the President the other day but I am not certain that any change will occur.

Now here we have a fresh graduate, who has been handed the finance docket to control. The largest some of money he has ever handled is probably the 18K he got from HELB while still in campus While still a new employee, this graduate is presented with a 2 million bribe by some organisation which wants its tender to pass the vetting process. It is these underhand deals that compromise the integrity of our graduates.

Many young graduates enter the job market with the vow to be corruption-free only for the tentacles of bribery and underhand deals to catch up with them. Once this happens, the fire of fighting corruption is soon extinguished and replaced by the demon of wealth accumulation and embezzlement of public funds.

Greed
In Africa greed has manifested itself through various leaders who use power to rip off the poor in the quest to amass more wealth. Today, leaders in various African governments are still being controlled by this powerful and evil force. This greed has also affected some of our fresh graduates once they hit the corporate world. Once they have been introduced into the ‘loop’ leaving these lucrative deals becomes a nightmare.

Once they get rooted to these vices, they end up pissing on the very same organisational policies they had vowed to protect. These graduates soon metamorphose into African leaders and this status quo is maintained from one generation to another. This clearly explains why Africa has remained a dark continent despite the best brains it has produced over the years.

However, starting today, we are going to do things different. We are going to break this vicious cycle of corrupt, greedy and complacent graduates. I therefore seek your indulgence in this matter as comrades and graduates-to-be because it starts with us if we are to bring ‘light’ in our dark continent.

ROBBEN DRIVES BAYERN TO GLORY

By James Kombe

Arjen Robben’s late goal was what Bayern Munich needed to earn a fifth UEFA title through a 2-1 victory over fellow German side, Borussia Dortmund on Saturday night. The final match of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League campaign held at Wembley Stadium – England – was the fourth between clubs from the same country. However, it was the first all-Germany UEFA final.

The two domestic rivals came head-to-head in what proved to be one of the toughest finals of the European league. Borussia Dortmund, the last season’s Germany Bundesliga champions, dominated most of the first half play with a couple of clear chances at their disposal. However, none of them was fruitful as Manuel Neuer who produced several fantastic saves on Bayern’s goalkeeping. Hence the first half ended in a goalless draw.


Bayern Munich, the current Germany kings, revived their spirit and successfully took over the ball possession right from the beginning of the last half of the match. It took goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller’s brilliant efforts to continuously prevent several goal attempts from the opponent’s attacking squad. However, Mario Mandzukic managed to give Bayern a 1-0 lead on the 60th minute; thanks to the Holland international, Arjen Robben’s assistance.

In a bid to seek for an equalizer and consequently awake their winning hopes, Jurgen Klopp’s men seemed to adopt the defend-and-counter-attack strategy, but their moves were constantly blocked by the strong Bayern defenders. They were later awarded a spot kick after Marco Reus was brought down by Brazilian defender, Dante Bonfim, inside the penalty area. Ilkay Gundogan successfully converted the resultant penalty shot into a goal to terminate Bayern’s short-lived lead on the 68th minute. Robert Lewandowski could have awarded Dortmund a second goal a couple of minutes later but the Italian referee, Nicola Rizzoli, cancelled out the striker’s goal. Lewandowski had not kept his left hand from touching the ball just before he striked an accurate shot from a long range into Bayern’s goal net.

Towards the end, there was a great possibility of the match going into extra time and probably penalty shoot-out stage to break the 1-1 tie. However, with just one minute of normal time left, Robben won the ball again and made a wonderful move past Dortmund defenders. He finally tackled the helpless goalkeeper and rolled the ball past his legs into the back of the net. The former Chelsea player took his side into glory as the only Bayern player to have completed eleven UEFA Champions League campaigns.

Road to Wembley

Bayern Munich knocked out the newly-crowned Spanish La Liga champions – FC Barcelona – in the competition’s semi-final stage with an incredible 7-0 aggregate score.
Borussia Dortmund on the other hand, went past Real Madrid with a narrow aggregate victory of 4-3.

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