Others are Andrew Muiruri, Josiah Karoiuki, Isaac Mwari and Maxine Wahome, while Amaanaj Rai and Aakif Virani withdrew from the championship, a big setback for Kenya that is welcoming the Safari rally back after 19 years hiatus.
The Safari Rally was last held in Kenya in 2002.
The adrenaline-pumping battle of the machines will then head to Naivasha for the competitive sections that include a 34 kilometer, the longest stage of the 400 kilometre-championship.
Mwari did not have a FIFA-approved fuel tank while the were knocked out on different technical grounds, including faulty seat belts.
“Some cars didn’t have the right seats, some had seat belts that are more than four years old. The turbo itself is not supposed to be more than 33 millimeters,” explained Abdul Sidi, a former Kenyan rally driver.
“You will be disqualified if you have a bigger turbo, for example. Suspensions too were marked out. Some cars had cracked anti-roll-bus which is a major security concern,” added Sidi who has taken part 18 Safari Rally and finished in 15 of them.
The new rally will be different from the previous ones, last held in Kenya almost two decades ago, key among the is the shorter route, and the fact that it will only be confined in Naivasha.
The six-day-long event used to cover about 5800 kilometers and would run across the country-all the way from Mombasa to Kisumu. This year’s edition, however, will take place in Naivasha in private lands.
The Safari Rally was supposed to be held in 2020 but was postponed by a year following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.