This year’s Safari Rally was flagged off at the Kenyatta International Conference in Nairobi yesterday, pitting 42 drivers against each other in the battle for top honours.

This rally triggered some nostalgic moments when the Kenyan leg was part of the World Rally Championships (WRC) series.

Then, top drivers from around the globe competed in the famous Safari Rally, which was considered by many as the toughest and most challenging leg of the series.

Unfortunately, many young Kenyans cannot imagine how it was to watch the likes of Colin McRae, Joginder Singh, Björn Waldegård, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Shekhar Mehta test their machines in the Safari Rally.

The Safari Rally was struck off the WRC calendar in 2002 due to lack of finances and poor organisation. This took away much of the interest and thrill that came with watching the top drivers fight for glory.

Since then the government has been working with the Kenya Motor Sport Federation to ensure that the Safari Rally is reinstated to WRC status.

However, their work towards this end has not paid off, and as the Safari Rally takes place this weekend, we hope all the stakeholders concerned will re-double their efforts to have the Safari reinstated to the series.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario should lead this effort and work round the clock to bring back the joy that hundreds of thousands of older Kenyans experienced during their youth.

Sports officials and other stakeholders should also chip in and ensure all the bottlenecks they can control that are blocking the Safari’s re-entry are removed.

There is much to gain if Kenya returns to the WRC fold — from the worldwide television exposure that will market our tourism potential, to the auxiliary jobs created to those offering support services.

Besides the romanticism associated with the WRC Safari and the East African Safari Rally before it, the competition helps fire the imagination of young children when they see rally drivers battling rugged terrain in their powerful cars.

During its heyday, the Safari Rally had Kenyan stars such as Ian Duncan, Patrick Njiru, Phineas Kimathi, Jonathan Moi, Shekhar Mehta and Frank Tundo wowing fans with their driving skills. They put Kenya’s name on the world map and became role models to many youths.

The rally also helped exhibit Kenya’s idyllic villages to tourists as the cars zoomed past these hamlets. The same romanticism can be captured today, especially in the counties that have a lot more to offer visitors. Let not lose the opportunity to market the countryside using the Safari. Sponors such as Kenya Commercial Bank, who are backing this year’s event, are ready to support such ventures.