This archive report was first published on 28 September 2019.
Kenya's Safari Rally is set to roar back to life in 2020, marking the event's return to the World Rally Championship calendar after an 18-year absence.
According to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, the Monte-Carlo Rally will kick off the season on January 26, with the Safari Rally pencilled in for July 19.
Kenya will be one of 14 countries hosting a round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship, with President Uhuru Kenyatta pledging government support for the annual event.
'My Administration will continue to work with the relevant bodies to ensure that the 2020 Safari Rally and successive events thereafter, are hosted successfully,' President Kenyatta said in a recorded speech.
International Automobile Federation (FIA) President Jean Todt expressed his happiness at the Safari Rally's reinstatement, thanking President Kenyatta for his intervention and initial involvement in working with the team.
Kenya Motorsports Federation (KMSF) President Phineas Kimathi, who is also the director of the WRC Safari Rally Project, welcomed the news, saying 'it is great news for Kenya rally fans, competitors, officials and fans.'
