The much-awaited 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally has officially revved off at the Wildlife Research Training Institute in Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya.
The event, which has attracted 46 crews from around the world, will see 17 Kenyans battle for the top honours against some of the best drivers in a total of 20 stages.
Speaking during the official flag-off ceremony at the Wildlife Research Training Institute in Naivasha on Thursday morning, KCB Group CEO Paul Russo said: “The 2026 Safari Rally is expected to attract thousands of motorsports enthusiasts from around the world to witness the rally thrill at Kenya’s tough gravel. KCB continues to invest in events of this magnitude to shine a light on our rich talent and sporting excellence.”
Out of the 17 Kenyan drivers who will participate in the competition, five of them will race under the KCB sponsorship banner. They include Two-Time Africa Rally Champion Karan Patel, paraplegic driver Nikhil Sachania, fast-rising star Tinashe Gatimu, Uganda’s Oscar Ntambi, and Rwanda’s Queen Kalimpinya.
Organisers of the event have reduced the racing distance by 12.09 km. Following the decision, the overall distance to be covered by the drivers over the four days of the competition has been reduced from 350.52 km to 338.43 km.
After the official flag-off, the cars will then pass through Camp Moran 1 (24.35 km) before heading to Mzabibu 1 (8.86 km). On Friday, it will be a busy schedule for the drivers and their navigators. They will navigate Camp Moran 2 (24.35 km), Loldia 1 (25.04 km), KenGen Geothermal 1 (13.16 km), Kedong 1 (13.79 km), Kedong 2 (13.79 km), KenGen Geothermal 2 (13.16 km), Loldia 2 (25.04 km), and close with Mzabibu 2 (8.86 km).
On Saturday, 14 March 2026, the cars will pass through Soysambu 1 (24.94 km), Elementaita 1 (18.01 km), Sleeping Warrior 1 (18.41 km), Soysambu 2 (24.94 km), Elementaita 2 (18.01 km), and finish with Sleeping Warrior 2 (18.41 km).
On Sunday, 15 March 2026, the race will kick off at 8:09 am at Oserengoni 1 (18.22 km), before heading to Hell’s Gate 1 (10.48 km), Oserengoni 2 (18.22 km), and close with Hell’s Gate 2, Wolf Power Stage (10.48 km), which will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony.
The fabled Safari Rally Kenya enters a new era in 2026, trading the urban buzz of the capital for a concentrated, high-intensity challenge based exclusively in the Great Rift Valley.
Marking the third round of the season from March 12 – 15, the 2026 edition drops its traditional Nairobi start to focus entirely on the unforgiving terrain surrounding Lake Naivasha. It remains the ultimate test of survival in the WRC, where the wildlife is as unpredictable as the weather. With a refined schedule that packs 20 special stages into four days, the 2026 Safari demands maximum commitment from the very first kilometre.
From the brutal “fesh-fesh” sand of Kedong to the high-speed savannah of Sleeping Warrior, this is where the WRC’s toughest machines are pushed to their absolute breaking point.
