KCB lines up helicopter treat for Safari Rally fans

Phineas Kimathi and Wanyi Mwaura

World Rally Championship Safari Rally CEO Phineas Kimathi (left) and KCB Bank Acting Group Director Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Citizenship Wanyi Mwaura pose for a photo with a Toyota Yaris car and a helicopter that will ferry select fans at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on June 10, 2021.




Photo credit: Pool

What you need to know:

  • Through a lottery, every 50th customer to transact in any KCB branch nationwide will be the automatic daily winner of a helicopter ride to watch the Safari Rally from June 24-27 in Naivasha
  • KCB Bank has sponsored the 2021 Safari Rally to the tune of Sh100 million annually for the next two years
  • KCB, as Kimathi, enumerated was the only institution after the government which stuck with the Kenya Motorsports Federation (KMSF) and kept motorsport active for the last 19 years

A Toyota Yaris car driven by Phineas Kimathi and guided by a helicopter in the dual carriage way behind the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Thursday took motorsport enthusiasts back in time to the glorious days of the WRC Safari Rally.

Before the Safari Rally was dropped from the World Rally Championship Series, top manufacturer teams used helicopters flown at low altitude as the “guardian angel” to alert the driver below of unseen hazards like wild animals, ruts, flooded roads, besides being used as the first responder in case of accidents or mechanical breakdowns.

The whole spectacle pleased the fans and at Kasarani, the stunts did not disappoint. 

On Thursday, KCB Bank re-created the spectacle in its branded chopper at Kasarani. The bank, which is advertising its products and services using images from past editions of the Safari Rally, has now taken their campaign outdoors.

Through a lottery, every 50th customer to transact in any KCB branch nationwide will be the automatic daily winner of a helicopter ride to watch the Safari Rally from June 24-27 in Naivasha.

“We are looking at giving rally fans a very different viewing experience,” said Wanyi Mwaura, KCB Bank’s acting Group Director for Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Citizenship.

“Our fans have stuck with us over the past 19 years when the Safari Rally was absent from the World Rally Championship,” she said at Kasarani stadium Thursday.  KCB Bank has sponsored the 2021 Safari Rally to the tune of Sh100 million annually for the next two years.

“We have a draw for our fans and we will have lucky fans enjoy a 20 minute chopper ride. The online draw has been unveiled while similar draws will be run during the Safari at the spectators’ stages.”

KCB, as Kimathi, enumerated was the only institution after the government which stuck with the Kenya Motorsports Federation (KMSF) and kept motorsport active for the last 19 years by sponsoring the Kenya National Rally Championship, known as the most competitive in Africa.