Nairobi, June 21, 2021 – National Carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) has today announced its partnership with the World Racing Championship (WRC) Safari Rally for a period of three years as the official airline sponsor. The sponsorship, which is in kind, is a total of Kshs 35 million and is in two categories: Kshs.25 million towards the WRC event, and Kshs.10 million towards the FIA Rally star program, for the year 2021.
The highly anticipated Safari Rally starts on the 24th to the 27th of June 2021. Present during this occasion were Amb. (Dr) Amina Mohamed, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, CBS Joe Okudo, the Principal Secretary in charge of Sports at the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive Officer at Kenya Airways, and Phineas Kimathi, Chairman of The Safari Rally Organizing Committee.
According to Amb. (Dr) Amina Mohamed, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, partners in this year’s Safari Rally championships such as KQ showcase the importance of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and their continued impact on the Government’s development agenda.
“Their generous technical and financial support has contributed to the successful preparation of the forthcoming Safari Rally which is geared to benefit varied sectors of our economy. It also reinforces our commitment to rebuilding, concretely, together, “she added.
“We are excited that after 19 years, the WRC Safari Rally is coming back to Kenya, and it gives us great pride in welcoming it back to its roots. This is a win for the rally and sports and a win for Kenya as a Nation. It should be noted that KQ has a long history with the Safari Rally, dating back to the 1990s, a history that exemplifies our spirit in uplifting sportsmanship, culture, heritage, and the legacy of our Nation,” said Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive Officer at Kenya Airways.
The sponsorship of the Rally stars is key for KQ as it showcases the airline’s commitment to develop and nurture a new generation of talented drivers and support teams in line with its strategy to grow sports in Kenya and Africa. KQ recognizes the importance of collaborating with the Government of Kenya and like-minded corporate organizations in demonstrating that Kenya is world-class and can host elite events such as the WRC Safari Rally works hard to turn around its fortunes.
“Our sponsorship will provide air tickets for the WRC Safari Rally Kenya team and FIA rally stars to attend WRC meetings and rally events around the world. This also includes profiling the WRC in our Msafiri Magazine and through our onboard announcements and entertainment. Supporting such a prestigious event such as the WRC Safari Rally will not only uplift the Kenyan spirit but also help sell Kenya to the rest of the world, and we as the National Carrier that bears the name and flag of the country, therefore, feel that our relationship with this kind of event is most appropriate,” he added.