• Amina said that the target is to create a Safari Forest at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and plant trees along the traditional safari routes.
• According to the Sports CS Amb. Amina Mohamed, the rally race will provide thousands of people with sources of livelihood for the next three years.
Image: COURTESY
The much-anticipated World Safari Rally which will be hosted in Kenya will inject approximately Sh6 billion into the country’s economy.
According to the Sports CS Amb. Amina Mohamed, the rally race will also provide thousands of people with sources of livelihood for the next three years.
The CS made her remarks on Wednesday during the launch of the Safari Rally Greening Legacy project, which she said joins the FIA/WRC family's model of giving back to nature.
“The Safari Rally is a core part of our national heritage and will inject approximately Sh6 billion into our economy and provide thousands of people with sources of livelihood for the next three years and prospectively, beyond this initial period,” the CS said.
The project is being driven by a multi-agency operation team including the Ministry of Environment, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, the Save Our Rivers Initiative (SORI), and other community-based partners.
Amina said that the target is to create a Safari Forest at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and plant trees along the traditional safari routes.
The traditional safari routes are in Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Machakos, Makueni, Murang'a, Meru, Nyeri, Embu, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Kajiado, Laikipia, Isiolo, Narok, Nakuru and Nairobi counties.
“We have also added the Kakamega Rainforest and the Lake Basin Region into our target areas because of the centrality of the Kakamega forest and Lake Victoria to our natural ecosystem.,” Amina said.
She added that the rally race which will be held in Kenya for the first time in 19 years from 24-27 June 2021, will be streamed live on the national broadcaster KBC and Kenyans can also listen to Capital FM, which is the official radio partner.
The CS said that a total of 653,000 trees have been planted in partnership with the Save Our Rivers Initiative.
“We plan to plant 6 million trees and hope to plant at least one million in Kisumu and Kakamega. We are targeting deforested areas of our wetlands, classic Safari Rally routes, and the spectator stage at Kasarani Stadium.”
Also, the CS said that the community ownership of the initiative has assured survival rates of more than 90 per cent after the 1st year of planting, making the project sustainable.
She added that the production and operation of automobiles have a substantial effect on the environment.
“The world has produced 60.5 million cars this year. It is anticipated that by December 31st, 2020, this number will increase to 67 million. Two new vehicles enter the roads every second.”