| safari rally, the once famous and popular world | | | | else in the world. Non of the manufacturers thus |
| championship event has been fighting | | | | wanted to miss out on the Safari. The safari |
| unsuccessfully to get back to its lost status. The | | | | therefore became a must attend event for all |
| Safari lost its place in the world rally series after | | | | stakeholders. |
| the government of Kenya failed to provide | | | | Insensitive behavior and bad politics in the late |
| enough funding for the event. | | | | 1990s strained the relations between Kenyan |
| This is set to change if the rally gets approval | | | | organisers and the world rally championship |
| from the World championship organisers, who | | | | organisers. This led to the suspension of the |
| have just been observing the locally organised | | | | Safari from the world championship series. |
| Safari rally. Kenyan organisers are optimistic that | | | | Concerted effort to return the rally to the world |
| they have been able to convince the world that | | | | series are yet to bear any fruit. |
| the rally will meet the high standards set by the | | | | In the just concluded locally organised KCB Safari |
| world body. | | | | rally, the world championship scouts were said to |
| The Safari rally started in the late 1950s as a | | | | be monitoring the organisation with a view of |
| commemoration of queen Elizabeth's coronation. | | | | sending their recommendations to the world body. |
| Initially its name was the coronation rally. After | | | | This raised some hope that the Safari will regain |
| Kenya became an independent state in 1963, the | | | | its former glamour. It also mean that the |
| rally changed its name to the East African Safari. | | | | opportunists who have been standing on the side |
| Competitors covered the three East African | | | | hoping that the Safari will be transfered to their |
| countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. | | | | countries will have their hopes dashed. |
| That changed in 1977 with the collapse of the | | | | South Africa has been for a long time rumoured |
| East African community. The rally became a | | | | to have an interest in the world championship |
| Kenyan affair. With massive international | | | | event transferred there. Egypt, Tanzania and |
| participation and sponsorship, the rally was | | | | Zimbabwe have also had an interest, though the |
| arguably the most popular world championship | | | | later have a collapsed economy to sort out first. |
| event outside Europe, and by far the most | | | | The interest is not in vain. |
| challenging. Drivers took it up more like an | | | | The country that eventually gets the nod from |
| adventurous outing. Rallying in the bush literary, | | | | the world championship organisers stands to gain |
| with herds of wildlife competing for the roads | | | | in a big way. Apart from the direct benefits that |
| with the rally cars was fun! | | | | come as a result of the cash injection from |
| But it was not just the drivers who loved the | | | | drivers and clues during the rally, the host country |
| Safari. In the late 1980s, BBC withdrew their | | | | receives massive publicity during the period of the |
| coverage of the Safari apparently because it was | | | | rally. |
| sponsored by Marlboro, a cigarette manufacturer. | | | | In a world where all major events are beamed |
| However, on doing an opinion poll about the move, | | | | worldwide on live TV, the coverage ends up |
| it became clear that the move was against the | | | | becoming much worthwhile in later days. It is an |
| wishes of most Britons. The had to reinstate their | | | | opportunity to market the country as a tourist |
| coverage. | | | | destination, renewable every year, with the effect |
| Another group of stakeholders who held the | | | | almost guaranteed. The thrill of rally cars |
| Safari in high esteem were the motor vehicle | | | | competing with wildlife for trucks in remote parts |
| manufacturers. The felt that if any vehicle | | | | of Africa, makes everyone want to share the |
| conquered Africa, then it could conquer anywhere | | | | experience at one time in life. |