A rally fan take a selfie at the Soysambu spectator zone during the 2024 WRC Safari Rally on March 30, 2024.
Rally fans are coordinating how they will attend the WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha through social media, their favoured communication channel which they are also using to make transport and accommodation decisions.
Gichuhi Ngare wa Rukenya, the founder and admin of a WhatsApp rally fans group called “WRC Africa Fans Club”, said the response has been overwhelming from their over 1,000 members and friends especially groups that congregate over a specific car model the likes of the famed Blue Subaru boys, Mercedes, Audi, Mazda, Mark X and special SUVs.
“We are looking for a spectators’ liaison desk in various spectator areas where we shall offer and manage spectators’ safety for our members and their friends who number between 5,000 to 10,000,” said Wa Rukenya yesterday. He said that the group draws members from the Eastern Africa region.
Not to be outdone, Ugandans are once again expected to steal the show. They have completed plans to come in public buses and private means.
“We expect well over 5,000 fans who have cloud fund-raised through WhatsApp groups and will spend millions of shillings for the week-long excursion in Kenya with some going to Mombasa,” said Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU-UG) head of media operations Frank Kaheesi Sserugo yesterday.
“Fans have embarked on joint preps, some sourcing out tour vehicles to Kenya for between Sh8,000 to Sh12,000 per person as others are making advance payments in their respective travel groups, between Sh10,000 and Sh12,000 of Kenya per person for only transport minus food and accommodation for the week-long adventure.
"They are also in talks with Magical Kenya to ensure they arrive in Kenya for various activities in Nairobi, an average Ugandan will part with about $250 to $300 (Sh32,000 to Sh39,000). When multiplied this by 5,000 fans, then the Ugandans will inject over Sh194 million directly into the Kenyan economy.
“These figures don’t include fees paid at tourism centres and sites in Kenya, shopping for things like fabric, domestic usable items like detergents, and consumables that Ugandans buy at the end of the trip on their return home. “
According to Jimmy Emaru, chief coordinator of Rally Hunters Uganda, he has three teams travelling to this year's Safari with an advanced team set to depart on Saturday.
“At each of the Safari editions, under their Rally tourism, we draw travel itineraries to explore tourist sites. The team travelling on March 15 will head straight to Mombasa for historical site visits and the beaches. The second team departs on March 17 to Nairobi while the third one leaves Kampala on March 18. They will converge on Kasarani, super special stage on March 20.
What drives Ugandans to this near fanatical following of rally sport?
“It is the passion for the sport that most spend any last penny on to attend the rally,” explained Emaru.
Emaru added their objectives as Rally Hunters include passion, safety and tourism.“We have gotten three subsidised travel buses from Friends Coaches, Kampala, and we will have free tickets courtesy of our Partners Magical Kenya, who are operating Kenya tourism,” says Emaru.
Emaru encouraged fans to make their bookings on time to gain from the offers.
Two WRC Safari rally faithful, Mululi Moses and Kirunda Muzafalu plan to include Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi in their itinerary this year.“We have already done hotel bookings in Naivasha for six days,” says Kirunda.
Just like Mululi and Kirunda, many other individual Ugandans are excited to attend the Safari Rally that will feature the world’s rallying creme de la creme.
“In their top-notch preparations, shopping around are day-lasting food types like Irish and sweet potatoes, matooke, rice and a lot more eateries. Inclusive on the shopping list buying chicken in numbers, goat meat, and beef bought at any highway stalls with confirmation from butchers that they are not buying wild game,” he noted.
“This is in avoidance of kuku kienyeji (hard local chicken) and 'Punda' meat, as some fans who have watched the WRC Safari Rally for the last four years confess to having fed from Naivasha restaurants,” he alleged.
This year, Uganda has two crews in the Safari - the Moil-sponsored crew of Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba in their newly rebuilt Rally2 Ford Fiesta R5 popularly known as ‘NEMO’, that rolled in last year’s WRC Safari in the Fesh Fesh stage of Kedong.
The crew under RC2 Rally2 will be contending for scores on the African Rally Championship (ARC) title, with the next event of the five being the Pearl of Africa Rally set for May 2025.
The other crew is that of Timothy Gawaya, co-driven by Francis Wamala, in a Seat Ibiza, competing under the Kenyan National category classification with scores for the ARC.
