Safari Rally Kenya sits at a crossroads. And this is not one of those hyperbolic moments, overblown by propaganda from both sides of an agreement. This could be the end of Kenya’s time in the World Rally Championship.
Or it could be the start of new, far more sustainable, private sector-funded chapter.
Kenya’s initial five-year agreement with the WRC Promoter ended last season. A single-season extension to cover the 2026 event was an indication of looming change – President Ruto confirmed such consideration when he talked of less government responsibility within the running of last week’s Safari.
The President went a step further on Sunday, declaring: “This is the last Safari Rally where we will be spending public money to promote [the event]. From next year, this event will be fully funded and supported by the private sector.
“The resources we have as a government will now be used to promote sports in our schools and other spheres.”
It’s hard to argue with the redirection of resource into education, but it also worth countering that point with the millions the event has brought into Nairobi, Naivasha and the wider Kenyan economy.
The return of Safari Rally Kenya has been one of WRC Promoter’s major success stories. There were plenty who thought it impossible to shoehorn this classic African adventure into the modern day requirements of the World Rally Championship without bastardising one beyond recognition or seriously compromising the stakeholders of the other.
Credit where it’s absolutely due, Simon Larkin, Iain Campbell and their team did it and have done it for the last six years. Last week was another shining and audacious example of what the Safari’s all about. It’s a season in itself.
And a WRC season without Kenya is almost unthinkable.
Larkin’s understandably guarded about the event’s future. He and his team spoke with President Ruto on Sunday and DirtFish understands those discussions are ongoing. And Larkin fully understands the government’s position.
Safari Rally Kenya's three-year contract ended after the 2026 event - and spaces are filling in the 2027 calendar
“President Ruto himself has been quite clear about this,” said Larkin, “that he wanted to take the organization of the event out of the government itself. At the moment, this is organized actually by the sports ministry. And he would not be offended by me saying governments are not the sort of organizations that should be running events. They should be involved by providing police, the army, fire, ambulances, access to the land. But not actually being the organizer and the promoter of the event – not actually being the boots on the ground to do these things.
“He made the decision not so long ago to put this event back into the private sector, still with government money, but not with them actually doing the organization. That’s the new business model we’ve been talking about for two years. And we wouldn’t be coming back if it was run under the same, government-run model.
“So, it’s just taken a bit longer than we all would have liked. But now that separation has happened with partners like SportPesa, Safaricom, KCB Bank. They’re all willing to step up to be stakeholders, shareholders in a private sector-run event with the government still in the background providing money, providing support, providing material, that sort of thing.
“That’s the model that’s happening this year, and that’s being done deliberately to set it as the fundamental foundation for what could happen in the future.”
As it stands, no deal is done with Kenya and Larkin is candid enough to admit that, while there are discussions with “a couple of other countries” in Africa, nothing could be fast-tracked for 2027.
“We would build something new,” he added, should agreement not be forthcoming.
DirtFish understands there’s no precise timeline for a new deal, but with Scotland’s arrival for 2027 confirmed on Monday, America’s bid building towards a slot on the same calendar and plenty more countries queueing up at the WRC’s door, the clock is ticking to keep Africa’s enormously popular fixture in place.
