The wild side of the Vasha chronicles

They say what happens in Naivasha stays there, but does it? Allan Adalla puts into critical perspective about how the Safari Rally partying went down there.

The just-concluded four-day World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally bonanza in Naivasha, Nakuru county, was not just about rallying, but also a chance for thousands of fun-deprived party animals to thrive!

The hype surrounding the event, after missing out on the global calendar for a whooping 19 years, even escalated the frenzy.

It came as a clear sign that after the long and devastating hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, the big events are finally back.

In ‘Vasha’, the rally grounds were turned into wild party zones, as the official deejay of the WRC event, DJ Lisney, thrilled the hyped up crowds with her mastery of the decks at the Hells Gate National Park. 

“It was such an honour to be the official DJ for the event that has made history in Kenya.

This meant that I was to be at almost all the spectator stages; all the way from the flag-off at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi to the awarding ceremony at the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute in Naivasha.

I was very pleased to have entertained my fans and all the gatherings including President Uhuru Kenyatta and the whole country and world as a whole. This has been truly a world-class event,” Lisney tells Spice.

How did she make sure that everyone present was entertained, you may ask? “For this particular one, it wasn’t difficult at all. Most people’s interest and focus was on the WRC cars.

However, I ensured during entertainment breaks, I played music that all the nationalities would easily connect and resonate with; and of course more Kenyan music to represent our nation.

The revellers needed to feel they were in Kenya and I gave them that experience as well. I wasn’t locked on any particular genre per se.

I just rolled with whatever seemed to excite the crowd. Again, more Kenyan music made everyone get a feel of the Kenyan experience,” she intimates.

The sideshows

Apart from the main event, some sideshows made the experience even more interesting. The biggest of them all was the WRC main bash on Sunday night at the Lake Naivasha Resort.

Our sources intimate that Sh10 million was sunk into the party by the organisers, where expensive booze flowed freely. Mugithi star Samidoh was among the performers.

Park n Chill held at Villa Ground in Lake Elementaita had the sassy DJ Pierra Makena as the lead deejay.

Park n Chill is the new partying trend that Pierra pioneered during the pandemic, where people gather in their fleet of cars at an open ground to just party.

It ensures that Covid-19 protocols including the social distancing are observed.

“It was all fun from the main event to the after party. I was at the Park n Chill, and the hyped event turned out to be so good. No regrets for attending whatsoever,” said Maulid Ali, a reveller.

However, for some people, the partying started right in the long traffic gridlock that was brought about by the closure of the road leading to Naivasha due to the WRC event.

The roads were turned into parking lots leading to many people getting stranded.

The traffic created an ugly scene as people who were headed for the camping sites got frustrated and ended up making the highway a binge-drinking ground.

High on alcohol, groups of young people staged what seemed like a disco club, with obscene sexual scenes reigning supreme.

In the weeks leading to the global spectacle, the social media was awash with memes of the rowdy, randy and notorious ‘Subaru boys’ snatching other people’s girlfriends from Nairobi for the rollercoaster Vasha. Did things go well for the Subaru boys?

I just asked some of my Subaru friends who were in Naivasha and they reckon that Vasha and Subaru are inseparable.

Dennis Spinner said the connection between the two did not start recently, but a long time ago.

He refers to Naivasha as the second home for Subaru. “Naivasha has so many weekend getaways, and that’s why Subaru people like me love the place.

Whenever Subaru boys are mentioned, what comes to mind is alcohol and the love for women,” he said.

Beckoning sceneries

Situated at an approximate distance of 93 kilometres from Nairobi, Naivasha offered the perfect backdrop canvas for the just concluded WRC, as it provided both local and international visitors not only with spectacular rallying landscapes, but also popular tourist destinations such Hells Gate National Park (the main shooting location for Hollywood creations Tomb Raider and The Lion King), Mount Longonot and Mount Longonot National Park.

The scenic Lake Naivasha has also been a favourite for tourists, as they marvel at the birdlife, immerse themselves in the lives of hippopotamus, and other wild animals.

Coming to Kenya as a tourist from Belgium, a Portuguese national Alex Rocha was in doubt whether he would get to Naivasha on time to watch the Safari Rally due to the traffic.

“I am going for the WRC since it has very skilled and famous rally drivers. I have also heard of Naivasha as a place full of tourist attractions.

A lot of people that really love the rally and the experienced drivers are going there. It is always a different feeling seeing these events live as they happen than when watching them on TV.

It is my first time to attend the event in Kenya, but I have attended different Dakar Rally events in Belgium and Portugal,” he told us.

After the long traffic on Saturday, the revellers got solace from the after-party event dubbed Dunda Festival at Baron Sports Club Delamere.

The event was full of pomp and colour as the partygoers danced the night away to the distinct mixes of DJ Joe Mfalme.

As usual, he kicked it off with reggae to lighten the crowd and then go to the other music genres.

It was a party all night with a combination of the controversial comedian Eric Omondi and MC Antonio lighting up the stage as the event emcees.

Let’s just say that Covid-19 guidelines such as social distancing and curfew time were thrown to the wind.

It was apparent that party animals had missed such moments, owing to the fact that for more than a year, they hadn’t really gotten such a chance to free their bodies due to the set government’s regulations restricting huge gatherings to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“This event was not worth missing. I am here after a long time of not partying since clubs and bars adhere to the set restrictions that dampen the party vibe enjoy like they used to before the pandemic.

This is surely a moment to remember,” said an ecstatic reveller Barry Ochieng’.

To close the performances in style, Mejja got to the stage and did what he knows best.

The already tipsy crowd went into a frenzy when he performed his songs with the boozing themes such as Bablas, Lewa, Watoto na Pombe, Jana Kuliendaje and Wamocho.

After the Tabia za Wakenya hitmaker bowed from the stage, it was then a free world for the revellers to dance, as party monsters ignored the cold weather to party till dawn.

As there were more women than men in Vasha, the jury is still out on whether the tents were actually turned ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ as many people had speculated.

Myths debunked

Star biker Mina Reeves, was in Naivasha for the entire four days, and she says she savoured every bit of it.

“On Saturday night, I was with friends at the Sunset Village Party, which proved to be a lot of fun. The deejays were spot on.

My favourite was DJ Wachira. I noticed that it is more fun to go to such events with friends than alone,” she told Spice.

She debunked the myth that all the girls there had been ‘sponsored’ by the Subaru boys.

“I went with a group of girls, drove ourselves there and paid for our accommodation ourselves.

We didn’t depend on any man for anything, and people should drop that stereotype that every girl there was with the boys for sex orgies.

We just wanted to have a good time, and good time we did have,” she says.

The closing after-party dubbed Rally Boma party hosted by 33Beats and sponsored by betting firm Betika was held on Sunday after the awarding event.

Allen Kinuthia, an attendee says, “The WRC was definitely what the motorsport community had been waiting for for close to two decades. It was interesting seeing these speedsters live.

The speeds and parties were equally entertaining. The Rally Boma party was lit.

The guys let out the moves they had hidden for the many months coronavirus had kept us under party hibernation. I must say it was a proper weekend for everyone,” said Allen.

Another reveller Ian Musili says he was happy when Uhuru announced on Sunday that Kenya would host the WRC Safari Rally for the next five consecutive years.

“We were amongst the few lucky people that managed to beat the traffic since we were aware that the Nairobi-Naivasha highway would be closed.

We were up by 4am on Saturday and started the journey to Naivasha at a slow speed since the fog was real,” he says.