Living life at full throttle

Stella Macharia, made history for being part of the first ever women-only rally team in February this year. She tells SHIRLEY GENGA how she shifted gears and became a racer

In February this year, she and her co-driver, Jedidah Weru (The Media Ladies Champion for five years straight at the Jamhuri Circuit) participated in the Visa Card rally in Eldoret and made history by being part of the first ever women-only rally team.

Stella checking if everything is in place.

With her girls Charlene, 17, Graca, 11, Corna, nine, and Anita, four. Photos: Courtesy

But Stella Macharia’s life has not always been in top gear. It was only last year that she decided to do something radical with her life. She finally listened to that inner voice that told her she could do anything she put her mind into and joined the rally bandwagon. She is a mother and business woman, but her life is anything but ordinary.

“Growing up, I was the only girl in a family of three and my father encouraged us to get involved in sports. He believed that sports is the way to groom children’s academic potential because of the discipline, hardwork and confidence it demands,” she says.

Stella went to Nyeri Primary School in South Tetu for O-Levels and TumuTumu Girls for A-levels. She was active in hockey, lawn and table tennis.

“Back then I never imagined that one day I would be a rally driver. I remember being fascinated by the race though,” reminisces Stella.

After finishing high school Stella joined Utalii College, where she trained in Tours and Travel and proceeded to work in the hotel and travel industry from 1993 to 1999 before finally calling it quits. “It was not what I expected. I wanted to do something that opened more opportunities,” she notes.

So Stella went to Kenya Institute of Management where she did a diploma in Business Administration to enable her diversify her skills in accounting, marketing, sales and the like.

After completion she worked with the Joint Voluntary Agency, where she got a chance to deal with refugees before joining United Overseas, a company that supplies goods to various supermarkets. Then she moved to Uchumi in 2003, where she worked as a procurement manager.

It was after things took a turn for worse in 2006, when Uchumi was closed, that Stella lost her source of livelihood.

trying moment

“It was a trying moment for my family. There was no warning — I went to bed an employee and woke up jobless. At the time, I was pregnant with my last born,” says Stella, a mother of four girls, Charlene, 17, Graca, 11, Corna, nine, and Anita, four.

It was emotionally draining and shocking for a lot of the employees. Says Stella: “In fact alot of people have not recovered to date. I refused to let the situation put me down, drawing strength from my girls. I never planned to venture into business but I was forced by the job loss.”

Working with her savings, she started Wanwan agencies for the distribution of herbal products.

Beyond the challenges of starting a new business, Stella was fighting to save a crumbling marriage. A year later, in 2007, she separated from her husband of eight years.

Says she: “I always hoped to be happily married but our marriage turned into something toxic. We were incompatible and this stunted our growth together. I was very unhappy because I could not be myself — there was too much abuse and jealousy in the marriage. I could not socialise freely with friends because this caused trouble at home. And our wrangles were beginning to affect the children.”

Liberating decision

Walking away from her marriage, says Stella, was the hardest thing she had ever had to do but the most liberating decision she ever made.

“I just had to learn to stop defining myself by my marriage. I had to be my own person. I now understand why so many women stay in moribund marriages. When marriage does not work, a woman blames herself and is too ashamed to walk away,” she says.

In mid-2007, I attended the three-day motivational Landmark Forum. It was my turning point. The talks focused on blind spots — things that stop us from being the best that we can be.

It challenged me to not only dream but to get up and do something about my plans. I literally leaped to life and stopped being too concerned about what people would say of me,” remembers Stella.

Stella has always loved car rallies, so much so that she would always take her children to watch them but she had never taken the step to do anything about it.

But in 2009, she finally decided that she did not want to be a spectator she also wanted a part of the action.

Adventure as a driver

It may sound trite, but Stella believes that in life, when you make a decision to do something, the universe aligns itself to open up the opportunities for you.

She backs this up thus: “Shortly after my decision a friend of mine introduced me to Dave Macharia, a veteran rally navigator who rallied with Patrick Njiru.

He is the one who trained me in rallying. Thus I found myself with this knowledge and skill but no car or co-driver. Soon after I attended a friend’s graduation, where I met John Muigai who had a rally car, a Subaru, but was not racing. That is how my adventure as a rally driver started — as his navigator. My daughters were so excited, but my mum was apprehensive about it.”

The first Rally Stella participated in was the Visa Card Route Opener last year.

“It was not competitive but it was a great learning experience, and the adrenaline rush was crazy. I also got to get experience as a navigator,” she enthuses.

A rally navigator’s job is administrational. You are like a compass guiding to your co-driver, by reading the pace notes.

“My job is to survey the route a day before the rally with the pace notes. Apart from that, I take care of other logistics — ensure the car is in order by checking everything, plus accommodation arrangements,” explains Stella.

In her first competitive race held in October last year in Kajiado, the KCB S & L Guru Nanak rally, Stella and her co-driver won the Meritorious Award, an award given to the most promising first-timers. Since then Stella has participated in more than ten rally races.

In February this year, she got the chance to be co-driver to Jedidah Weru at the Visa Card rally in Eldoret.

Because Jedidah was not able to make it for the rest of the rally season, she has now partnered with Issa Amwara.

Stella is currently in season and she makes her next stop in October at the KCB Amani Banking Rally in Kilifi. Stella dreams of one day racing alongside her daughter, Charlene who is a budding rally driver.

“We want to make history as the first mother- daughter team,” says Stella with a gleam.

She says in closing: “I’m at a good place in my life, it’s not perfect but I found the little Stella who was not afraid to dream and chase after her dreams. I’m living life on my own terms and enjoying every moment of it together with my daughters, and that to me is enough.”