Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta (centre) and British co-driver Daniel Barritt (left) receive their trophies from Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) on the podium after placing second in the 2021 Safari Rally Kenya near Hell’s Gate at Lake Naivasha, Kenya, on June 27, 2021.
Many also doubted Kenya’s capability to organise a competition meeting present-day WRC standards until yesterday when all concluded that the country produced a sleek event courtesy of the President, government and the organising committee of volunteers.
When the Kenyan Government signed an event agreement with the WRC Promoter in 2018 to host the Africa Championship Safari Rally the following year, many were still skeptical that this would be a tall order, and if the Safari ever returned to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), it might be a one-off.
But on Sunday, President Uhuru Kenyatta gifted Kenyans with the very good news that the Safari Rally is guaranteed a slot in the high profile FIA (International Automobile Federation) World Rally Championship (WRC) after consultation with the FIA and the WRC Promoter — the commercial rights holder of the annual 13-rounds series until 2026 — only four years short of the Vision 2030 ambition which did not have a proper road map for sports.
