Safaricom’s Ksh21 million Safari Rally sponsorship
Sponsored by Safaricom
The three young Kenyans who benefitted from the FIA Rally Star programme: Hamza Anwar McRae Kimathi and Jeremy Wahome.
In June 2021, Safaricom announced a Ksh21 million sponsorship for the Safari Rally, as the event prepared for its return to the World Rally Championship for the first time in close to two decades.
The sponsorship included Ksh15 million, which went towards supporting three young Kenyan drivers selected as part of the FIA Rally Star programme. This is a global initiative for identifying, training and developing talented young drivers aged between 17 and 26 years. The selected young Kenyans were Jeremy Wahome, 22, Hamza Anwar, 22 and McRae Mutwiri Kimathi, 26.
The telco also announced a Ksh3.5 million partnership with Equator African Rally Championship (ARC) winner, Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo. The partnership included mentorship of the three young drivers selected for the FIA Rally Star programme.
Tundo is a five-time winner of the Safari Rally. In 2009, he was crowned Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champion, making him the first and only Kenyan winner of an IRC round.
FIA Rally Star driver profiles
Hamza Anwar is a second generation rally driver. He has been racing in many formats in the motorsport world and is now fully absorbed into the rally world. He follows in his father’s Asad Anwar and uncle’s Azar Anwar footsteps.
His most recent participation in motorsports was in the African Rally Championship Equator Rally, where he impressively came fifth and became the youngest finisher of the Equator Rally. He keeps his inspiration up through his role models, who are his father Asad Anwar, Ian Duncan, Heather Hayes and Rob Collinge.
McRae Mutwiri Kimathi started rallying at the age of 15 when he joined the Abdul Sidi Rally School in 2015. His interest in being a rally driver was sparked at an early age, since he hails from a motorsport family. His dad Phineas Kimathi had been a Formula-2 champion during his heydays. His most recent finish was 8th at the 2021 African Rally Championship Equator Rally.
Jeremy Wahome started go-karting at the Rift Valley Motor and Sports Club Championship, at the age of eight. At 18, he was already competing in the British Formula-3 Championship – a series won in the past by the likes of Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen, who went on to be crowned Formula-1 world champions.
In addition to pursuing motor sport, Jeremy is also studying at Cheltenham College and recently set up a library in Kibera.
