Safaricom has announced Sh2 million sponsorship for Car No 23 belonging to Peter Kinyua ahead of Friday’s Rhino Charge competition.
The event, which takes place in Mara, Suswa has attracted a field of 64 rally drivers including the legendary Kenya rally driver Ian Duncan with his team ‘KTM Cruisers’.
Other notable drivers taking part in the challenge include— John Bowden, Ravi Patel, Richard Hooper, Vishal Shah and Ramesh Halai among others.
“As team 23 which has been charging for the last 25 years, we are glad to be associated with Safaricom as we raise funds towards fencing of our parks.
"Safaricom has been our partner for quite a while. Their unwavering support for the annual Rhino Charge competition has continued to bear fruit by preserving our ecosystem through environmental conservation,” said Peter Kinyua, Chairman of Kenya Forest Service.
The Rhino Charge is an annual off-road 4×4 Competition held in Kenya with the sole purpose of raising funds to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, an NGO which works towards the conservation and protection of Kenya’s mountain range ecosystems, the so-called “Water Towers.
The annual Rhino Charge has raised over Sh1.6 billion for vital projects managed by Rhino Ark, which seek to create a win-win equilibrium that balances the needs of local communities and the goal of protecting nature.
To date, Rhino Ark has built 650km of electric fences. Over 80,000 families are being protected from the dangers of human-wildlife conflicts through fencing programmes.
Rhino Ark’s electric fences protect critical mountain forests that are the “water towers” of Kenya. These mountain forests are vital ecosystems that support the country’s economic development and the well-being of most Kenyans.
Together, the Aberdares, Mt. Kenya and the Mau Forest —the three mountain ecosystems where Rhino Ark operates—provide yearly ecological services to Kenya worth Sh412 billion ($4.12 billion).
