Uhuru officially flags off WRC Safari Rally at KICC

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday flagged off the 2021 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally at the Kenyatta International Convention Center, Nairobi.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Head of State said the Safari Rally holds a special place in Kenya’s history and it indicates the ambitions of a country that is led by the dreams of young people.

"In 2013 I made a pledge to my fellow citizens that we would bring the safari rally back home and I also promised that I would return Safari Rally to its position as one of the International Automobile Federation’s and the World Rally Championships’ toughest rally."

"This goal has materialised nine years later into the event that we are witnessing today," Uhuru said.

The Kenya Safari Rally is the sixth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship and has attracted 58 entrants from across the globe.

The last time Kenya participated in the WRC was in 2002.

After the flag off from the KICC, the cars will head to Kasarani for a side-by-side race on a purpose-built spectator grandstand from 2 pm.

This will set the pace for the race that will kick off on Friday from the main Service Park at the KWS Training Institute in Naivasha along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.

Kenyan drivers Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo, Hamza Anwar, Jeremy Wahome and McRae Kimathi have exhumed confidence ahead of the WRC Safari Rally which will see drivers tackle some of Kenya’s most technical routes.

Wahome and Anwar, both 22, and Kimathi 26 are some of the youngest Kenyan drivers participating at the event as part of the FIA Rally Star programme, a global initiative that seeks to identify, train, and develop talented young drivers between 17-26 years.