New, exciting stages await fans, crews in 2025 Safari Rally
Kalle Rovanpera and his navigator Jonne Halttunen in a Toyota Yaris compete in the Kasarani Super special stage of the 2024 WRC Safari Rally on March 28, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Government has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the Safari Rally in the World Rally Championship series beyond 2026.
- Murkomen warned that his ministry will only fund sports federations that shall have attracted sponsors for their activities.
Kenya plans to host a more exciting, cost-effective and eco-friendly 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally.
At the same time, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the Safari Rally in the World Rally Championship series beyond 2026.
The 2025 WRC Safari Rally, which is the most grueling event on the WRC calendar, will be staged from March 20 to 23 in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
While addressing motorsport stakeholders in Nairobi on Friday, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sport, Kipchumba Murkomen allayed fears that the event which has become a key fixture in the local sports calendar could fail to take place this year, saying that the Safari Rally holds a special place in the country’s sporting history.
Murkomen also announced three new exciting stages in next year’s competition that will also have a Safari Village in Naivasha where fans will interact with rally drivers.
“I want to assure everybody that the (Sports) ministry is committed to continuing this rich tradition, and we are grateful to those who fought to have it back in the WRC series in 2021,” Murkomen said.
He underscored the role the Safari Rally plays in marketing Kenya as a tourist destination, and promised to ensure that future editions of the event were better organised.
Murkomen noted that Safari Rally was not just a motorsport competition but a celebration of Kenya’s national heritage, a powerful economic catalyst and unique platform to market the country to the global audience.
“I want to ensure you all that the work my predecessor (Ababu Namwamba) started will continue till I pass the baton to the next person. We don’t want to be accused of mismanaging the event,” said Murkomen.
“We want to do it for posterity, and to leave a legacy, having made the event better than we found it,” Murkomen said during a briefing session for sponsors of the WRC Safari Rally at Talanta Plaza in Nairobi on Friday.
Present were Sports Principal Secretary, Peter Tum, Sports Administrative Secretary Evans Achoki, WRC Safari Rally Chief Executive Officer Charles Gacheru, and Kenya Motor Sports Federation (KMSF) chairman Maina Muturi.
Murkomen noted that the event will continue to stimulate Kenya’s tourism sector, and will create employment opportunities for many.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen (third left) and Sports Principal Secretary Peter Tum (third right) pose with rally drivers during briefing session for the 2025 WRC Safari Rally at Talanta Plaza in Nairobi.
“Moreover, the rally offers brands and agencies a unique platform to showcase Kenya, not just as a premier sports tourism destination, but also as a thriving business hub,” he explained.
Murkomen warned that his ministry will only fund sports federations that shall have attracted sponsors for their activities.
“Request for funding must be accompanied by accountability,” said Murkomen, adding that his ministry will announce a reward scheme for federations that perform well.
Tum noted that the Safari Rally was recognised as the best run event in the WRC calendar with regard to experience by fans and drivers.
“We have been efficient in terms resources used, both human and financial,” Tum observed.
Tum disclosed that the Sports ministry had reduced the cost of running the Safari Rally by more than half from Sh 1.9billion in 2022.
Muturi said the three new stages are the 5km-long shakedown that will be built around Sleeping Warrior in Naivasha, the Leleshwa stage that will be 8.3km-long, and the 32.2km-long Camp Moran stage that will be next to the Sleeping Warrior.
The Safari Rally Village will be located at Morendat,and Leleshwa stage will be live for the four days of the rally. Gacheru said his team will ticket entries to the Safari Rally Village with the view of collecting data.
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team has won this year’s Safari Rally for the fourth year in a row, with Kalle Rovanperä leading Takamoto Katsuta in a 1-2 finish.
The Safari Rally formed part of the WRC until 2002 when it was dropped from the global series due to funding and organisational challenges. It was re-admitted to the global series in 2021 following intense lobbying by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The WRC Safari Rally will be the third leg of the 2025 WRC series which will feature 14 events.
It will be held after the January 23 to 26 Monte Carlo Rally, and the February 13 to 16 Sweden Rally.
