Rally drivers Andrew Muiruri, Ishmael Azeli and Rwanda’s Queen Kalimpinya have hailed East Africa's leading electric energy producer Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) for backing their 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally campaigns, terming the sponsorship a major boost ahead of the March 12-15 showdown in Naivasha, Nakuru County.

KenGen has injected Sh2.1 million jointly towards Kenyan drivers Muiruri (Sh500,000) and Azeli (Sh600,000), while Kalimpinya has received Sh1 million in her first-ever sponsorship deal with the energy giant. The company has also committed Sh3 million towards the organisation of the Safari Rally itself.

For Kalimpinya, the support marks a historic milestone.

“This is the first time I will be taking part in Safari Rally, and it’s even our first time to race outside Rwanda,” she noted. “I’ve been racing for three years, and last year I won the Rwanda National Rally Championship. I asked myself, why not aim higher? Why not the African Rally Championship?”

The Rwandan driver will use the Safari Rally to kick-start her African Rally Championship (ARC) campaign. She is collaborating with Moil Energies, the defending ARC champions, and says she has assembled an experienced technical team to guide her continental ambitions.

“We have trained hard. I also thank the government of Rwanda and all our partners, including the one and only KenGen,” she added.

Azeli, a Kenyan cinematographer and filmmaker who is heading into his third WRC appearance, emphasised strategy over speed.

“We are bringing the energy on all the stages, but keeping it clean and getting to the finish is the most important thing,” he said. “Sometimes speed can be costly. A clean finish, and maybe a podium, would be big news for us.”

Azeli, who drives a Subaru WRX GVB, began his motorsport journey four years ago after a lifelong love of cars inspired by childhood visits to WRC flag-offs with his father.

This year’s rally will also break tradition. For the first time since its inception in 1953, the Safari Rally will not start in Nairobi. The ceremonial flag-off shifts fully to Naivasha, dropping the fan-favourite Kasarani Super Special Stage.

“We embrace the changes,” Azeli said. “It’s a new chapter.”

Muiruri, competing in his Subaru WRX STI N12, is targeting improvement after finishing fifth overall in the 2025 Kenya National Rally Championship Safari Rally and first in his Group S category.

“Any position above number five is a win for me,” he observed. “Of course, winning is always the target, but a clean finish comes first.”

He admitted he will miss the Kasarani head-to-head stage, but remains confident fans will follow the action to Naivasha. Muiruri credited his navigator, Edward Njoroge, for sharpening his racecraft and revealed that continued vehicle testing is underway ahead of race day.

“Rallying is a very expensive affair. If it was not for KenGen, I would not be doing Safari Rally this year,” he said. “We feel honoured, and we will repay that with action on the track.”

Veteran driver and Safari Rally official Carl “Flash” Tundo predicted a tougher, potentially wetter rally if rains persist, promising an exciting spectacle.

KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Peter Njenga reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to the WRC.

“As long as WRC is here, we intend to support it,” Njenga assured, noting the prominence of the Geothermal Olkaria stage near KenGen’s renewable energy plants. “We supply over 60 percent of Kenya’s electricity. We are proud to showcase what we do.”

With over 40 drivers from across the globe expected, the 2026 Safari Rally promises high drama, powered, quite literally, by energy both on and off the track.