Kenya’s most anticipated sporting spectacle of the calendar year, the Safari Rally, now finds its World Rally Championship status hanging in the balance as organizers scramble for a solution to secure its slot for next season, according to motorsport outlet DirtFish.
According to the media house, sources in Kenya confirm that private funding is being sought, but time is running out for the Safari Rally.
DirtFish understands that the Kenyan issue is the only thing holding up the announcement of next year’s WRC calendar.
FIA Road Sport Director Emilia Abel stated that she remained supportive of the event, but added that a deadline was in place for both parties.
“We want to see Kenya on the calendar,” Abel said. “It is a historic and classic event for the WRC, and an important rally, particularly from the region’s perspective. Our focus now is on delivering from the [Kenyan] ASN side.”
Meanwhile, WRC Promoter COO Julien Vial said they really want to finalize the 2027 calendar and need greater clarity and certainty around the funding of each event, including the Safari Rally.
“We need to finalize the calendar very soon, and in order to do so we need clarity and certainty around the funding of every event. Kenya is one of the most unique and iconic rallies in the championship, but the necessary conditions have to be in place to secure its position on the calendar.”
All this comes just after Kenya’s contract ended in 2026, with the country staging the final event under the deal in a highly condensed Naivasha-only itinerary.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston won the rally, while the event itself underwent a massive logistical overhaul behind the scenes.
The transition was heavily supported by the private sector, which injected roughly Sh400 million to rescue the event.
Prominent corporate entities stepped in to fund organisational logistics, including KCB Bank Kenya, alongside Kenya Breweries Limited and CFAO Mobility Kenya (Toyota).
Crucially, as the government ceded operational control, leading online gaming giant SportPesa stepped forward as the major promoter, providing a vital, eleventh-hour commercial package that Safari Rally CEO Carl “Flash” Tundo credited with saving the four-day global showpiece.
ALSO READ: SportPesa earns special praise ahead of WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026
However, the real shockwave came during the closing ceremony when President William Ruto announced that the Kenyan government would completely withdraw public funding from the event.
After years of backing expensive infrastructure and multi-million-dollar promoter fees, the state is privatizing the rally to ease public financial liabilities and redirect national resources towards developing grassroots sports in local schools.
While SportPesa and its corporate peers successfully piloted this new public-private partnership model during the 2026 edition, the rally’s spot on the 2027 global calendar now relies entirely on the private sector’s ability to quickly secure sustainable, multi-year commercial deals before the FIA’s final deadline.
The high-stakes race for the 2027 WRC calendar has turned into a global shootout, putting Safari Rally Kenya under immense pressure.
As Kenya scrambles to secure private funding, the biggest winner so far is the United Kingdom, which clinched an official return via a three-year deal for Rally Scotland.
Right behind Scotland, heavy-hitting challenger nations are hunting for the remaining slots.
The United States is on the verge of hosting its first WRC event since 1988 after a successful FIA candidate trial across Tennessee and Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Italy is plotting a dramatic shift, aiming to move its round to the tarmac streets of Rome.
Time is running out for Kenya, and the slot could slip away while there are still three legs remaining to conclude the 2026 World Rally Championship.
Following the conclusion of the fast-paced gravel tracks at the inaugural Rally del Paraguay in late August, the action resumes with Round 12 at Rally Chile Bio Bío, scheduled to take place from September 10 to 13 on South America’s challenging and technical forest tracks.
Immediately after that, the championship heads straight back to Europe for Round 13 at Rally Italia Sardegna from October 1 to 4.
Finally, the historic 2026 season will draw to a close with Round 14 at Rally Saudi Arabia from November 11 to 14.