Pay debts to save Safari Rally

Not only did the Safari Rally return to the WRC fold, but it also saw the contract being extended to 2026 as the event that had a huge impact on the economy of the country, solidifying its place in the global motorsport scene.

However, there is concern with the government and Safari Rally having not settled over Sh1 billion bills in WRC Promoter fee, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) licence fee and Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) licence fee among others.

WRC Promoter, who is owed Sh500 million in arrears from a fee of Sh720 million, wrote to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Principal Secretary, Elijah Mwangi expressing their concern on July 7, this year.

The country might have been included in the 2026 WRC series, but the future looks bleak with the FIA licence of Sh56 million having been paid in bits and some suppliers still being owed Sh500 million since 2022.

The government invested more than Sh300 million training personnel between 2019 to 2023 as per the event promotion agreement but most of the personnel have been replaced with people who require training again. This amounts to wastage. The bottom line is that the 2027 Safari Rally is not guaranteed unless Kenya puts its house in order.

Mr Mwangi's response that the delay in meeting some of the Safari Rally budget had been occasioned by the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations budgetary obligations clearly exposes the country's inability. This doesn't work well with FIA and WRC.

The move to scale down the Safari Rally budget to Sh1 billion and below was a good idea, but this shouldn't be to the detriment of the event.