Naivasha to Host 2027 Safari Rally as Kenya Retains WRC Event

Kenya will host the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally in 2027, with Naivasha set to once again provide the setting for the motorsport event.

In a statement on Thursday, October 8, President William Ruto confirmed that Kenya had retained its place on the WRC calendar.

He said the 2027 event would once again showcase Kenya's iconic landscapes and rallying terrain, with competitors expected to tackle challenging routes around Naivasha.

"I am delighted to confirm that Kenya will host the WRC Safari Rally in 2027. Once again, the world's finest drivers will take on our plains, our valleys and the legendary roads of Naivasha," he wrote.

Ruto said the Safari Rally remained deeply connected to Kenya's history and continued to provide significant economic and tourism benefits to the country.

He noted that the event attracts visitors, supports hotels and businesses and gives Kenya an opportunity to showcase its natural beauty to a global audience.

"The Safari was born on Kenyan soil. It belongs on Kenyan soil. Every edition fills our hotels, energises our businesses and carries the beauty of our country to screens across the world," he added.

Ruto also acknowledged the institutions and partners involved in securing the continuation of the Safari Rally as a WRC event, crediting both government agencies and international motorsport bodies for their role.

"I thank the Ministry of Sports, the WRC Safari Rally Project, our private-sector partners, the FIA and the WRC Promoter for making this possible," he concluded.

This comes weeks after Kenya made history by becoming the first African Country to host the World Athletics Championships.

In a statement issued Tuesday, September 15, World Athletics confirmed that Nairobi will host the competition in 2029.

The organisation explained that Nairobi had been settled upon following one of the strongest bidding processes in the history of the sport's flagship event.

"The decision, made during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest on Monday and Tuesday (14-15), means that the World Athletics Championships will be held in Africa for the first time when the Kenyan capital stages the 2029 edition, before returning to Germany for a third time two years later, this time in Munich’s iconic Olympic Stadium," the statement read.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe further announced that Munich won the bid to host the Championships in 2031.

"Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport, and I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships," he reiterated.

Coe added that Kenya is one of the greatest athletics nations and that the sport is woven into the fabric of the country.

"It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment," he added.