Babake Neo

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

A 24-year-old Polish tennis player arrived in Paris last week ranked 114th in the world, with no sponsors, no guaranteed income, and no certainty she could even pay for her hotel room.

She had to win three qualifying matches just to enter the French Open main draw. Prize money is only paid at the end of the tournament, so a Polish sports drink brand quietly stepped in and covered her hotel bill.

Her name is Maja Chwalinska. And today, she plays in the French Open final.

Before this tournament, she had won exactly one Grand Slam main draw match in her entire career. She had battled depression so severe that in 2021 she couldn't get out of bed. She underwent knee surgery in 2022. She spent years grinding through small tournaments across Europe just to stay afloat.

Then she arrived in Paris, won three qualifiers, and kept winning. Zheng Qinwen. Elise Mertens. Maria Sakkari. Diana Shnaider. Nine straight matches. One set dropped.

She is now the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final. The last time a qualifier reached a Grand Slam final, it was Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu won.

By simply making the final, Chwalinska has earned more prize money than her entire career combined. The runner-up cheque alone is $1.6 million. If she wins today, she takes home $3.25 million.
One week ago she couldn't pay for her hotel room.

[Manchester City @ManCity]

Pep's Taxi: 10 years later! 🚖

Pep finally gets the chance to show Braydon where he kept all of those trophies... 🏆

[Atlanta Dream @AtlantaDream]

WELCOME TO ATLANTA 🅰️

With the 13th pick, the Atlanta Dream selects Madina Okot from the University of South Carolina.

[MindGame @KokoEdem]

It’s the same tired script every single time, isn’t it?

Young black kid from England dares to dream bigger than the postcode he was born in.
Works his arse off, becomes world-class, carries the hopes of a nation on his shoulders…
and the second the team doesn’t win, the mask slips and the racists crawl out like clockwork.

Raheem.
Marcus.
Bukayo.
Now Jude.

They don’t hate penalties.
They hate progress.

But here’s what they keep forgetting:
Every time they try to break one of ours, ten more rise.
Every slur just makes the next generation run faster, hit harder, shine brighter.

So let them type their venom.
We’ll keep producing kings while they’re still mad the throne doesn’t look like them anymore.

Jude’s only 21.
He’s already bigger than their hate ever will be.

England’s future is black, brown, brilliant… and unstoppable.
Get used to it. 🏴�🇩󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿✊🏾

[Interesting things @awkwardgoogle]

The Ukrainian actress Tania Galakhova portrayed what it's like to live with depression 😢

[World Athletics @WorldAthletics]

Female Track Athlete of the Year nominee ✨

Repost to vote for @Kipyegon_Faith 🇰🇪 in the #AthleticsAwards.

Voting closes on Sunday 19 October at 11:59 PM CEST.

[Babake Neo @BabakeNeo]

😢😢

[I am Chege @_James041]

Very emotional 💔.

These are kids. Young children. So young and innocent.

William Ruto's murderous regime MUST FALL!

Go well Bridget 🕊️

#RutoMustGoNow #DrainTheSwamp

[The People’s President @bonifacemwangi]

Our names are Agather Atuhaire and Boniface Mwangi, and this is our story. We will not be silenced. The days of silence are over!

[Hojo67🇺🇸 @ados_strong]

@queenie4rmnola They used to barbeque us on open pits. Without Sanctuary shows some of the atrocities:

[Larry Madowo @LarryMadowo]

Elsaphan Njora snapped.

"We did that!"

[Athletics Kenya @athletics_kenya]

STATEMENT ON THE UNWARRANTED SCRUTINY OF RUTH CHENGETICH'S CHICAGO MARATHON VICTORY
Once again, Athletics Kenya would like to congratulate Ruth Chepngetich for her remarkable achievement at the Chicago Marathon.

[Babake Neo @BabakeNeo]

@gitts @Olez "Unprecedented" & "Fourth time"🤦🏾

[ꕤ kaeden ꕤ @wandasitcoms]

seasmoke claiming addam velaryon as his rider gotta be one of my favourite dragon sequences in this franchise, can't wait for more of them next week #HOTDS2 #HouseOfTheDragon

[Gitobu Imanyara @GitobuImanyara]

The youth are unstoppable

[Sun Tzu @ItsChanzu]

Occupy Everywhere 🇰🇪

Nchi sio mbaya, ni wale wanaitawala ndio wabaya.

There is nowhere to hide .

[ME-THINKS @itsCephasMakini]

Waah!These Gen Z have no chills🤔🤔.Fixing the nation is the ultimate goal.
#SabaSabaMarchForOurLives Uhuru Park Barbecue Miguna Karen Nyamu Kericho

[Willis Raburu @WillisRaburu]

Tomorrow #ForKenya #ForHistory #ForAllOfUs #OccupyParliament #RejectFinanceBill2024

[The People’s President @bonifacemwangi]

We are ALL Ian Njoroge but with a bit of restraint.

Ian Ngige Njoroge is 19 years old, and still a teen. We now know that a person’s brain doesn’t attain full development until they’re in their mid-20’s. Scientific research has shown that teens tend to process information more emotionally, than rationally. In other words, their response, especially to stressful stimuli, will be more in line with how they feel rather than what they think.

Ian was driving with his friends when he made an illegal U-turn and was stopped by a police officer. According to Ian, Corporal Jacob Ogendo demanded a Ksh 10,000 bribe to release him but he could only afford to raise Ksh 5,000. The officer refused the Ksh 5,000, snatched the car keys from the ignition, and walked away. Ian lost it and took out his frustration on the officer by attacking him, as he tried to get his keys back.

I believe Ian’s version of the incident. Kenyan police are the most corrupt and greedy people in the country. When wild animals wake up each day, some go out to hunt, while others get hunted. When Kenyans wake up each day, the police go out to hunt by harassing and extorting them. You’ll hear Kenyan police tell you that they don’t own farms or cows, so the only thing they can harvest or milk is hardworking Kenyans.

At the tender age of 19, it's highly likely that Ian has paid a bribe in his short life. A young man walking at any time of the day in this country, can be stopped and harassed by the police for no valid reason. If he demands to know why he’s being arrested, the police will accuse him of resisting arrest, plant bhang on him, or simply book him for being drunk and disorderly. Our police, just like the politicians, are never held accountable for their actions. A police officer can take you to court on false charges, condemning you to suffer unfairly in prison, and that officer will not be held accountable for destroying an innocent person’s life. We all saw the video of what happened, and the police saw it too, but they still went ahead to file false charges against Ian, of committing robbery with violence.

Every single day, police officers across this country harass, extort, and steal from Kenyans. It’s almost impossible to get served by a police officer without paying a bribe. I say this as a matter of fact because I deal with police-related complaints every day. I guide people on how to get justice, and hardly does a week pass before l find myself in a police station somewhere helping someone who’s been unlawfully detained.

Police officers are very hungry, and never satisfied. No matter how much you give a police officer to sort out your matter, the next time you meet, he will still ask for more. What Ian did was wrong, although it’s something I’m sure most Kenyans who have been unjustly harassed by the police have secretly wanted to do, because of how rude, arrogant, and entitled they are when demanding a bribe. You would think it’s their money that you owe them. Kenyan police stations are active crime scenes, where Kenyans go to seek justice but have to pay for it, and if the perpetrator pays more, then you can forget about getting justice.

Do we have good police officers? Yes, but they’re in the minority. The majority are lazy, fat drunks who serve Kenyans like they’re doing us a favour. Most officers are bullies, with low self-esteem, and self-loathing. They can’t even fight, but they still like slapping and beating people knowing that the uniform protects them. The police need to change because if they don’t, they will forever be cursed and hated by the Kenyans they molest daily. Last year, a motorist in Mombasa ran over a traffic cop and dragged him for 200 meters. Police Constable Julius Marwa did not die instantly but no motorists stopped to help him. His fellow officers begged motorists to stop and take him to a hospital but they refused. There is a lot of bad blood between the police and citizens. When Marwa died, Mombasa motorists celebrated his death. He was a ruthless extortionist.

Ian is still in police custody with a broken jaw, he can’t even eat solid food. He was brutalized by the police, called all manner of names, and taken to court on false charges of robbery with violence. The Director Of Public Prosecutions is fighting to deny a 19-year-old cash bail. That same office is known to grant bail to thieves, rapists, murderers, pedophiles, and even terrorists. People that we know should not be granted bail, get it but a 19-year-old who did what many frustrated Kenyans would do if it wasn’t for fear of the consequences, is being denied bail. He was taken to court by 21 police officers, which just shows you how weak and cowardly they are.

Tomorrow, 7th June 2024, the court shall rule whether Ian Njoroge will be granted bail. It shouldn’t even be a dilemma for the court, he deserves it. The court should resist any and all attempts at being pressured, coerced, or intimidated by the police to deny Ian his Constitutional rights. We’re tired and we’re watching.

You can join me in solidarity with Ian Ngige Njoroge at Milimami Law Courts at 9am. He did wrong but he deserves fair and lawful treatment by first being granted bail. And before the bots come here to ask if l have ever done anything for the police, let me remind them that I have previously protested on behalf of the police, and highlighted their issues. All the graduate officers who were recently promoted to the rank of Inspector know the work that I did to support their fight.

We haven’t forgotten the Kianjokoma brothers, Benson Njiru Ndwiga (22) and Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga (19), who were beaten to death by police in Embu in 2021. The ODDP granted those police officers bail. Last year, Kenyan police killed 113 people. Methods of killing were shooting, unexplained incidents of deaths in police custody, battery, and torture. According to Amnesty International, only 5 officers were arrested in 2023, primarily in cases related to Gender-Based Violence, where they are accused of killing their loved ones, while 96% of implicated officers remain free and continue their duties. The five killer officers are out on bail, and Ian deserves to be released.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) should record statements from the young man so he can get justice too. The arresting officers, and the criminals who operate from Kasarani Police Station masquerading as police officers, should be held accountable for what happened to Ian in those cells. #TeamCourage #SemaUkweli

[Gabriel Oguda @gabrieloguda]

NEWS JUST IN: Lilian Seenoi Barr, from Oloombokishi village, Narok East Constituency, Narok County, has been sworn in as the first Black Mayor in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. She will represent Derry City and Strabane District Council. Chama Kubwa.