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By Cantona Joseph Published on: March 25, 2026 11:51 (EAT)

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ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga speaks during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive on March 25, 2026. Photo/Jase Mwangi

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The Orange Democratic Movement chairperson, Gladys Wanga has revealed that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino can attend the upcoming National Delegates Convention (NDC) owing to their status within the party. 

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Wanga explained that the two leaders hold leadership positions that permit them to attend the special NDC as party delegates, according to the ODM Constitution. 

The ODM chairperson also shrugged off a parallel NDC to be held by the Linda Mwananchi faction, citing that only one convention was called for according to the party’s Constitution. 

“Sifuna and Babu are members of the NDC. Sifuna, by virtue of being a Senator of Nairobi, is a delegate at that NDC. Babu, by virtue of being a member of NEC and also MP for Embakasi, is a delegate at that NDC. They are not necessarily going to storm; they can attend the NDC, and we hope they will attend the NDC,” Wanga stated.

Wanga maintained that despite isolated dissent, the majority of the party remains united and focused on rebuilding.

“We lost a leader and there was bound to be some shakiness but we pulled in quickly, got a new party leader whom we will be ratifying on Friday, and we have consolidated our leaders. The majority of the party is solid. When a few people are dissenting, it doesn’t count for the party splitting,” she said.

She also outlined the structure and agenda of the upcoming convention, noting that attendance will be capped in line with the party constitution.

“On Friday, delegates are going to convene. The constitution requires that we have a maximum of 3,000 delegates. I know many people have been asking to come to the NDC, but our constitution limits the number of those who attend the NDC to 3,000,” Wanga explained. 

“We have an agenda, the first being the ratification of resolutions of the national governing council, which we held last year in Mombasa. The second is giving our party leader a mandate to begin negotiations for pre-election coalitions.”

ODM Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Nassir echoed her sentiments, warning against efforts to destabilize the party while expressing confidence in its resilience.

“We know that there are people out there who wish for us to be weakened; we know there are people out there who are going out of their way to try and burn this house down. At the end of the day, you do not burn a house that is made of ice by using extra ice. We have survived everything else. What else is there?” he posed.

Nassir further pointed out that internal disagreements are not new within ODM, even during the tenure of its former leader.

“Even when Baba was alive, there are a lot of people who also fell out for various reasons. It doesn’t mean that the party fell. ODM 20 years plus, is still strong despite not holding the top office because we have structures that need to be respected,” he stated.

The remarks come amid heightened political activity within ODM as the party prepares for its NDC on Friday, a key organ expected to shape its leadership and coalition strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election. 

DCI foils Kitengela robbery plot targeting senior military officer, arrests six

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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested six suspects after foiling a planned robbery targeting a senior military officer in Kitengela, saying the syndicate involved Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) service members and civilian accomplices.

In a statement on Thursday, detectives said the operation was intelligence-led and followed credible information received on Monday, March 23, 2026 about an imminent robbery.

The suspects were placed under surveillance as officers monitored their movements and preparations ahead of the planned attack.

On the day of the planned robbery, DCI said the suspects arrived in a black Toyota Harrier while a Toyota Ractis (registration number KCM 804L) remained nearby with a driver on standby.

Detectives said a female suspect alighted from the Harrier and approached the main gate under the pretext of seeking access, prompting officers who had secured the area to move in and arrest her, before backup teams intercepted both vehicles.

The DCI said the six suspects arrested are Charles Kiio Matata, a KDF sergeant stationed at Kahawa Garrison; David Ng’gaa Mwangangi, a civilian mechanic attached to the KDF at Kahawa Barracks; Samuel Agango Odoyo, a KDF serviceman currently on interdiction; Alex Mumo Kisilu of Umoja; Richard Mwania Muasya of Tala; and Stella Nzuki Mweni of Umoja Inner Core.

They remain in custody undergoing processing, interrogation and further investigations.

A search at the scene recovered items police believe were intended for use in the robbery, including KDF jungle uniforms, military boots, a crowbar, a claw hammer, a knife, pliers and multiple mobile phones.

The DCI said the scene has been processed and investigations are ongoing to establish the full scope of the syndicate’s activities and possible links to other criminal incidents.

Liverpool great Toshack has dementia, says son

By AFP Published on: March 26, 2026 06:30 (EAT)

Wydad Athletic Club’s coach John Toshack arrives at the match against the Asec Mimosas club during the 20th edition of CAF Champion League in Rabat on August 14, 2016. Liverpool and Wales great John Toshack, who managed Real Madrid and his national team, has been diagnosed with dementia his son announced on March 25, 2026.

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Liverpool and Wales great John Toshack, who managed Real Madrid and his national team, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to his son Cameron.

Toshack scored nearly 100 goals and won multiple trophies at Anfield, where he formed a lethal strike partnership with Kevin Keegan in the 1970s, and he earned 40 caps for Wales.

Among the teams he coached during a long managerial career were Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and Wales.

The 77-year-old’s son Cameron, who works as a football coach in Thailand, spoke to the Daily Mail about Toshack’s illness.

“It’s a terrible disease,” he said. “It’s the short-term memory where we’re seeing it — I speak to him most days and if we chat in the afternoon, he might not remember that we also spoke in the morning.

“But if I ask him about the Liverpool days, or Sociedad or Madrid, the detail is amazing.

“The other day he was telling me about a Real Madrid game against Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan and exactly how he tweaked his midfield to deal with Marco van Basten.

“The game could have been yesterday, his memory was so clear.”

Toshack won the Copa del Rey during one of three spells at Real Sociedad and twice managed Real Madrid, winning La Liga in 1990.

He also coached in France, Turkey, Morocco, Azerbaijan and Italy and had two stints as Wales boss.

France and Brazil weigh up World Cup prospects in glamour friendly

By AFP Published on: March 26, 2026 08:30 (EAT)

France’s head coach Didier Deschamps (C) flanked by France’s forward #10 Kylian Mbappe (C-R) celebrate with teammates and members of staff after winning the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone group D football match between France and Ukraine at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on November 13, 2025. France wins 4 – 0 against Ukraine and qualifies foe the 2026 World Cup.

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Brazil and France will be among the leading contenders for World Cup glory later this year and the two heavyweight nations continue their preparations for the tournament by facing off in a glamour friendly in the United States this week.

With less than three months until the big kick-off, the countries ranked fifth and third respectively in the world rankings are in the US familiarising themselves with what lies in store in June and July and they go head to head on Thursday at the Gillette Stadium near Boston.

The home of NFL side New England Patriots is the venue for the first meeting of these teams in exactly 11 years, since Brazil came from behind to win 3-1 in a friendly at the Stade de France in March 2015 with goals from Oscar, Neymar and Luiz Gustavo.

Brazil laboured their way through South American World Cup qualifying with six defeats in 18 games as they finished fifth — now they are hoping the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as coach will give them a genuine chance of winning a record-extending sixth World Cup, and first since 2002.

After this match they will head to Orlando, Florida, for a friendly on March 31 against Croatia, the team who ousted them from the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-finals.

Neymar is now 34 and has not played for his country since October 2023, but his absence from the squad has still been one of the main talking points coming into these matches.

“It is a physical issue, not technical. With the ball he is great, but he needs to improve physically,” Ancelotti said after being asked about the absence of the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar, now at Santos.

“Because in my eyes and those of my staff, he is not at 100 percent. So he needs to keep working to get back to 100 percent.”

In the meantime Brazil’s main man is Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, while others likely to have key roles at the World Cup such as goalkeeper Alisson Becker, centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes are missing here.

Among those who do feature is Rayan, the uncapped 19-year-old who earned his place after impressing in the Premier League for Bournemouth since arriving from Vasco da Gama in January.

-Mbappe raring to go-

The main focus for France, as ever, is Kylian Mbappe, and the national team captain was eager to feature on this trip after overcoming a knee injury to return for Real Madrid just last week.

There had been mounting fears in France that the 27-year-old’s fitness could become a real issue but he said missing the World Cup or the end of the club season was never a concern.

“It is behind me. I was following a protocol and I wanted to start playing again gradually. I hope to be able to play during this international break and to start being decisive again,” he said on Monday, just before the squad headed to the US.

France, who have seen Arsenal defender William Saliba withdraw due to injury and called up Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace in his place, are staying in the same Boston hotel where they will be based during the World Cup.

The tournament will be coach Didier Deschamps’ swansong after 14 years at the helm, with Zinedine Zidane fully expected to succeed him.

“I know his name,” French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo told daily Le Figaro this week when asked about his search for the successor to Deschamps.

He refuses to explicitly say Zidane will take over, but it is hard to imagine Diallo means anyone else.

The last competitive meeting of the teams came at the 2006 World Cup, when France beat Brazil 1-0 in the quarter-finals, thanks to a Thierry Henry goal and a masterful performance by Zidane.

If both win their groups at the upcoming World Cup as expected, then they would not be able to meet each other until the final.

Getting that far is the aim for these sides, and Thursday’s game will be a good gauge of where both stand as the competition approaches.

Italy hoping to end World Cup pain as play-offs loom

By AFP Published on: March 26, 2026 07:30 (EAT)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino (R) hands the World Cup trophy to US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2025.

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Italy are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the World Cup as one of the planet’s most important footballing nations heads to the qualifying play-offs in the midst of another identity crisis.

Northern Ireland come to Bergamo for what promises to be a tense semi-final on Thursday as Italy desperately try to not miss a third consecutive World Cup.

Gennaro Gattuso led Italy to second in qualifying Group I and has obtained some stability for the Azzurri following the sacking of the volatile Luciano Spalletti.

But two heavy defeats dished out by group winners Norway were a stark reminder of how far the national team has fallen since last winning the World Cup 20 years ago — with Gattuso in midfield.

Since then Italy haven’t played a knockout match in a World Cup finals, dumped out in the group stage as defending champions in 2010 and four years later, before failing to even reach the last two editions in Russia and Qatar.

Both of those qualification failures came via the play-offs and were deeply traumatic events to a footballing hotbed which has lost its self-esteem while rival nations like France and Spain have flourished.

The poor performance of Italy’s clubs in this season’s Champions League has only exacerbated a feeling of being left behind, to the point that missing this year’s finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico would be seen almost as a death knell.

“I really hope with all my heart that we can reach this goal, this group of players deserves it,” Gattuso told reporters on Monday.

“We can’t stress the lads, they’re well aware of what the stakes are. There will obviously be a bit of tension but we have to make sure we trasmit positivity.”

-Pressure and injuries-

Gattuso has to deal not just with the pressure of the occasion but also a clutch of injuries which threaten to leave him without several important players for what he hopes will be two matches.

One of Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina await Italy in the final should they get past Northern Ireland as expected.

Probably the key doubt is surrounding Sandro Tonali, who suffered a groin injury in Newcastle United’s Champions League exit at Barcelona last week.

Gattuso said on Monday that he hoped to have Tonali, an all-action midfielder, available for training in the lead-up to Thursday’s match but the 25-year-old is by no means guaranteed to start.

Federico Chiesa, who hasn’t featured for Italy since their dismal European Championship title defence in 2024, was dropped from the squad on Monday when Italy’s medical staff ruled him unfit to play after he was originally selected in Gattuso’s 28-man squad.

“I had to make a decision. He didn’t feel up for it, so he decided to return home, and I had to accept it,” said Gattuso, who picked Bologna’s Nicolo Cambiaghi to replace Chiesa.

“I didn’t push. When someone wants to return home, it’s right to let him do so.”

Meanwhile Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca and central defenders Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini are all trying to recover in time from injuries, with Gattuso also saying that Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori was feeling “discomfort” on his arrival at the Coverciano training centre.

That leaves Gattuso hoping for a drama-free night on Thursday and his players all being ready for a date with destiny in the final.

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