KCB sponsored drivers in the battle for glory with legends at Safari rally
KCB Bank is part of the sponsors of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship where two legends are squaring off for the third time this year at the sixth and toughest round of the series in the picture-postcard Great Rift Valley.
In a route teeming with exotic wildlife including giraffes, zebras, and hippos KCB Bank is sponsoring drivers Evans Kavisi and Nikhil Sachania, who are representing team Kenya in the historic rally for the race to the top prize with legends Frenchmen Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier.
The 2022 World Rally Championship Safari Rally Kenya kicked off yesterday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) before heading to the Kasarani international stadium. Today, all the action will be in Naivasha before concluding on Sunday in what is promising to be a historic global showpiece.
This year’s Kenyan leg will see nine-time champion Loeb, 47, face off with Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Ogier, eight times a title winner, who claimed the Safari crown last year when the sub-Saharan classic returned to Kenya after a 19-year hiatus.
While flagging off the racers, President Uhuru Kenyatta said: “Motorsports has emerged as an important part of Kenya’s sporting calendar as it is a powerful platform that enhances unity and social reach. The Safari Rally holds a special place in this country’s history, as it is synonymous with the social as well as economic growth of Kenya. We are proud as a country for we have shown the world that Kenya can host high caliber events like the World Rally Championship.”
In 2019, KCB became the Official Financial Partner for the Safari Rally Kenya for the World Rally Championship (WRC) Rally, with a three-year commitment of Kes250 million. This year, the bank put in Kes100 million for the race in the wild.
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“We are glad to have been part of this transformational journey that has seen Kenya shine in the global motoring space. Motorsports is synonymous with our brand journey,” said KCB Group, Chairman, Mr Andrew Wambari Kairu.
“We are keen on further growing motorsport to elite levels while committing to promoting sustainable development and respect for the environment through sport. We recognize sport’s unrivaled ability to encourage and inspire enormous numbers of people. We are leveraging this event to renew enthusiasm for sustainability and a burgeoning transformation in attitudes for the public towards environmental conservation,” he added.
Since 2014, the role of motorsport has evolved to include sustainability, which has been recently reinforced by the announcement of several sustainability strategies.
The Bank, in collaboration with local communities, has been involved in the Safari Rally greening legacy project, and so far, five million trees have been planted across eight counties.
The initiative is the brainchild of President Kenyatta and the Federation of International Automobile (FIA) president Jean Todt. The target is to plant at least seven million trees before the end of the year.
The Western and Kisumu edition efforts were bolstered by Kenya Forest Service, KCB Bank Kenya Kisumu and Kakamega branches, Kakamega Forest Heritage Foundation, and Kalro Kisumu, among other partners.
