Sports Cabinet Secretary Dr. Amina Mohamed is convinced the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) Equator Rally will serve as a true test for the upcoming Safari Rally.
Dr. Amina Mohamed said the government is happy with the progress witnessed as far as the preparations for Safari Rally are concerned.
Speaking after the ceremonial start of the ARC Equator Rally which revved off at KWS Training School, she said: “I am happy that there are young drivers coming up in the rally and this is a clear indication that the sport is sustainable.
"What I can say at this juncture is that the future is bright for motorsports in Kenya and I am also excited to see the number of lady drivers increasing in the sport,” Amina said.
The Sports CS conveyed a message of encouragement from President Kenyatta who is at the forefront of the Safari Rally project, which he has given his full support. She said the government will go to great lengths to ensure the WRC is a success.
Efforts to return the fabled Safari Rally back to the World Rally Championship (WRC) have enjoyed strong government support from President Uhuru Kenyatta following a successful 2019 candidate event at which Kenya sealed its slot in the calendar.
“We are leaving nothing to chance to make sure Safari lives up to its reputation as a world-class event,” Amina said, adding: “Safari has always been at the heart of Kenyans as part of our heritage and can’t be removed from our legacy.”
Amina said she hopes the young generation will remember the Safari like the older generation.
“We need to ensure all is well in this ARC event because the world is now watching. What the organisers of Equator Rally have done is commendable. they have maintained a very high level of determination, they have come out and performed very well. I am convinced that this will bode very, very well for the WRC event in June.”
Earlier at KWS Training Institute, CS Amina embarked on another tree planting exercise as part of the WRC Safari Rally Green Legacy Project.
Dr. Amina was accompanied to the tree planting event by the two CASs, Zack Kinuthia and Hon. Simon Kachapin.
“The tree planting exercise is one of the two legacies with the other one being the road safety initiative. Thanks to the Secretariat of Safari and the CEO (Phineas Kimathi), we intend to plant 18 million trees to mark the 18 years we were out of the Safari Rally.” Amina said.
CS Amina during the trre planting exercise
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