Kimathi, Anwar, Wahome receive Sh25m Safaricom aid
Kenya’s McRae Kimathi and his Greek fans at Lamia Service Park in the end of EKO WRC Acropolis Rally in Greece on September 11, 2022.
What you need to know:
- They were inexperienced and hardly tested to the full in rally sport or by challenges of life. Not anymore. Each has a growing CV, mixed and have washed their hands to dine with men at the citadel of racing -- world championship level.
How times change.
When McRae Kimathi, Hamza Anwar and Jeremiah Wahome were named in the FIA Rally Star programme three year ago, they looked ill at ease, and everybody called them boys.
They were inexperienced and hardly tested to the full in rally sport or by challenges of life. Not anymore. Each has a growing CV, mixed and have washed their hands to dine with men at the citadel of racing -- world championship level.
They are full of banter like yesterday at their Mpesa Global sponsorship cheque presentation, cracking jokes in between articulate, intelligent speeches laced with lines that every sponsor looks for in a sports person.
Safaricom through the Mpesa Global product gave them Sh25 million for their 2023 rallying programme in the Safari, Kenya and Africa championships.
At an early morning function at their operation base, Atrep Motors in Lavington, team boss Adil Khan opened the doors for sponsors and media to glimpse the three Ford Fiesta R3 cars.
“The fact that we are here is because we are growing thanks to Safaricom,” said Wahome.
Honed his racing career in UK in the Formula 3 circuit before returning home in 2020 after meeting with the WRC safari Rally CEO Phineas Kimathi, also a member of the World Rally Championship Committee of the FIA in Europe, who convinced him to take up rallying.
Said McRae Kimathi: “It's been an amazing three years journey. Now that I am like a big brother to the team, now we need more kids.”
“One more thing, I am still gonna fuliza and okoa,” joked Kimathi, 27, in reference to the sponsorship money being for the purpose of maintaining and running the team's tight schedule and not for personal use.
Esther Waititu, Safaricom Chief Financial Services Officer reconfirmed the giant telco’s continued support of the junior programme as they have done with athletics, football and golf.
