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Kenyan driver Kavisi just wants to finish at 2026 WRC Safari Rally

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Rally driver Evans Kavisi (centre), Tendaworld Director Tito Alai (left) and navigator Absalom Aswani after unveiling sponsorship ahead of 2026 WRC Safari Rally in Nairobi on March 5, 2026. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Kenyan rally driver Evans Kavisi is gearing up for a strong finish at the 2026 WRC Safari Rally slated for March 12-15 in Naivasha.

Kavisi, navigated by Absalom Aswani, has been rallying for the last eight years with five appearances in the Safari Rally, but he is yet to finish the unforgiving Kenyan leg. The coastal-based driver made his Safari debut in 2018 when it was a round of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC).

But after landing a sponsorship from TendaWorld, Kenya’s digital trust infrastructure company, on Thursday, Kavisi’s mission for this year’s global showpiece that revs off on Thursday is to make it to the finish line.

Kavisi, who will be driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X machine, will be competing in the Kenya National Rally Championship category of the Safari.

“Partnerships like this make a lot of sense for us, and that we can get such support ahead of the WRC. Our main target is just to finish the race, nothing else. I’ve gone in before trying to achieve greatness, trying to be the fastest, but we end up disappointing ourselves,” said Kavisi.

“We had already made plans earlier last year, but a few things fell through, and we had packed the ambitions this year until TendaWorld stepped in, and that’s how we revitalised everything. We need to have as many indigenous drivers as possible in this rally to make it worthwhile once the big teams go back to their countries.”

On his part, TendaWorld founder Tito Alai said: “This sponsorship is a meeting of brave minds. We are happy to start this journey with Evans and Absalom. We are in this for the long-haul, it’s not a one-off partnership. We will start now (2026), then go to the Africa Rally Championships. But our ambitions are to go beyond that and participate in transcontinental events like Dakar.”

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