Rally legends Patrick Njiru and Juha Kankkunen of Finland with Sports PS Elijah Mwangi/ TEDDY MULEIKenyan rally icon Patrick Njiru has called for the revival and strengthening of local motorsport clubs to help nurture the next generation of drivers and reawaken Kenya’s sleeping rally giant.
Njiru, one of the country’s most celebrated rally drivers, flew the Kenyan flag with the Subaru World Rally Team between 1983 and 2002.
The 68-year-old is a four-time Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) winner and the first indigenous Kenyan to clinch the national rally title.
During the legendary Safari Rally in 1987, Njiru etched his name in the record books by becoming the first black driver to finish the gruelling rally since 1979. Three years later, in 1990, he became the first African to break into the top 10 overall.
His finest moment came at the 1994 Safari Rally when he steered his Subaru Impreza WRX to fourth place overall while clinching the Group N class.
With the 2026 Safari Rally just days away, the Kenyan great has urged the revival of motorsport schools and clubs to enable local drivers to compete on equal footing with their international counterparts.
“In my time, our motorsport clubs were very strong. We had eight very good clubs: the Kenya Motorsport Club, East Africa Motorsport Club, Rift Valley Motorsport Club, Mombasa Motorsport Club, Western Kenya Motorsport Club and Simba Union Club, and they were very active,” Njiru said.
“Today, to be very honest, most of those clubs are dead. No drivers are coming through these clubs,” he added.
Njiru noted that the clubs played a crucial role in shaping drivers and navigators, offering hands-on training in the fundamentals of rallying.
“The clubs helped us understand car setup and how to work with pace notes for navigators. If it were not for those clubs, I would never have been known,” he said.
He also pointed to the structured development pathway that once prepared young drivers for the global stage.
“In the clubs we started with six training rallies, then progressed to the Clubman Championship, which I won in 1988, before graduating to the national championship table, where I went on to win the KNRC four times,” he explained.
Njiru also recalled the fierce competition that once defined Kenya’s national rally scene. “In our time, we used to have over 50 drivers competing in the national championship because all the clubs were producing strong drivers,” he said. “Today, you hear there are only six or nine cars in the national championship because the clubs have gone down.”
The veteran driver reiterated the need to inject fresh energy into the dormant institutions. “We really need to see how we can inject new blood into the clubs,” he said. “If we strengthen the clubs and bring in young drivers, we can produce very talented competitors.”
Njiru also took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reflecting on the immense prestige attached to the Safari Rally across the global rally fraternity.
“I think this is one great moment we keep getting every year. There is nothing like the Safari Rally. It is an event every driver in the world wants to win,” he said.
“When I participated in 14 Safari Rallies, I felt incredibly proud. And the day I won Group N in 1990, it felt like I was on top of the moon.”
He also highlighted the stark contrast between the classic Safari Rally and its modern-day counterpart. “There is a big difference between the old and the new Safari Rally. The old Safari covered around 5,000 kilometres over five days, while today it is about 300 kilometres over three days,” Njiru explained.
“All this comes with changes introduced by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). The World Rally Championship now has 14 rounds compared to eight in the past, which has squeezed the overall mileage.”
As engines warm up for this year’s showdown, Njiru believes the battle on Kenya’s punishing terrain still tilts in favour of the Japanese giants.
Since the Safari Rally returned to the global calendar in 2021, Toyota Gazoo Racing has remained unbeaten. “To be very frank, at the moment, Toyota looks unbeatable. They have been extremely strong, not only in driving but also in the development of their rally cars,” he said.
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