The 2025 World Safari Rally Championship will return to Kenya with the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County hosting the car racing function.

This is according to a communique from the cabinet dated Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Naivasha stop will begin on Thursday, March 20, and end on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

The world-class event will come to Kenya for the third series after Monaco hosted the first stop on January 23 to 26, 2025, dubbed the Rallye Monte Carlo.

Sweden staged the second stop on February 13 to 16, 2025, dubbed Rally Sweden with the focus now shifting to Naivasha.

According to the 2025 World Rally calendar, the Naivasha event will be the sole time held in Africa with the series thereafter returning to Europe,

Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece will host the next stops in that order for the subsequent stops.

Government commitment

A past communication from Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya revealed the government’s commitment to making the Kenyan event a memorable one.

“The whole government is involved in making this a success. We want full participation and to leave a lasting impact after the rally,” Mvurya disclosed in February.

Meanwhile, the rally’s local organizing committee CEO Charles Gacheru revealed plans to have wider coverage and better interaction with fans.

“We are making the rally more accessible, including free-to-air broadcasts across East Africa,” Gacheru said at the same event.

The prize-giving ceremony will again be held at Hell’s Gate, the venue for the Wolf Power Stage, which awards additional championship points. This year’s edition will also count as a round of the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) and the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC), featuring Kenyan drivers.

Just as the 2024 edition, 2025 will be flagged off in Nairobi by President William Ruto before heading to Kasarani for the Super Special Stage and then to Naivasha for the main competition.

Drivers

Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville from Belgium, Ott Tänak of Estonian, the 2019 World Rally Champion, two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä, and Elfvin Evansa from the Great Britain rank among the confirmed drivers set for the Kenyan stop.

The eight-time Safari winner Sébastien Ogier of France has not been included in the Kenyan calendar.

Apart from the uninterrupted coverage across the world, the WRC Safari Rally brings with it a financial edge of monetary value to the country. The event also attracts thousands of tourists to Kenya.