Untold Stories of the 2026 KCB Safari Rally Team
Beyond the Helmet
Before the engines ignite and dust swirls into the morning light of the Great Rift Valley, a hush settles over Naivasha. For a fleeting moment, Africa’s toughest rally pauses before it begins.
Five crews. Ten lives shaped by grit, craft, precision, and unrelenting desire pull on their helmets. In that second, everything the world thinks it knows disappears behind the visor. What remains is the truth of who they are and why they race.
The 2026 WRC Safari Rally Kenya is more than a contest of speed. Instead, it brings together radically different lives: an aircraft engineer, a security entrepreneur, a paraplegic champion, a coffee farmer, a mother-daughter team, an industrialist, an electrical engineer, and a fashion merchandiser.
Although their worlds differ sharply, they converge here for one reason the need to test themselves against one of motorsport’s most unforgiving landscapes.
This is the story of the five KCB-supported crews preparing to face Africa’s most brutal rally.
These are stories beyond the helmet.
THE COMEBACK KINGS
Precision Under Pressure
Karan Patel & Tauseef Khan Kenya
Aircraft Engineer & Security Entrepreneur
Precision is not a buzzword for Karan Patel; it is the air he breathes. During the week, he works as an aircraft engineer, obsessing over tolerances and load factors where error is unacceptable. On rally weekends, however, he transforms into a two-time African Rally Champion whose speed electrifies spectators.
Both aviation and rallying demand control. Consequently, every stage note from co-driver Tauseef Khan is treated like a flight checklist interpreted, executed, and trusted.
Karan’s relationship with machines began early. His father, a former Kenya Airways pilot and instructor, immersed him in flight discipline long before he touched a rally car. That foundation still shapes his driving philosophy today.
A Season That Nearly Broke Them
Their partnership formed unexpectedly after Tauseef’s father suggested they team up. What followed was one of Africa’s fastest pairings.
Then 2025 tested everything.
First, a suffocating cloud of fesh-fesh destroyed their engine mid-event at the Safari Rally. Later that season, a violent crash in Rwanda ended their hopes of a historic three-peat ARC title. At that point, the campaign could have collapsed entirely.
Instead, they regrouped.
They returned for the final round in Tanzania determined to influence the championship’s outcome. Although they could not reclaim the title, they won the leg and shaped where the trophy landed. Even in defeat, they defined the season.
Now, in 2026, they return with unfinished business.
THE ARCHITECT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
Rebuilding After Impact
Nikhil Sachania & Deep Patel Kenya
Project Manager & Automotive Executive
If Karan represents precision, Nikhil Sachania embodies possibility.
By profession, he manages complex construction projects across East Africa. Yet his most extraordinary build has been his own comeback.
Nikhil is Africa’s only paraplegic rally driver.
After a life-altering quad bike accident, he spent six months in rehabilitation. However, instead of surrendering to loss, he studied hand-control systems and drew inspiration from disabled racing pioneer Albert Lovera. Once back home, he returned to karting. The adrenaline confirmed what he already knew he was not done.
Engineering a Return
His career progressed through several cars before settling into a fully adapted Ford Fiesta Rally3. The vehicle operates entirely on hand controls, including a sequential gearbox. As a result, flawless coordination between driver and co-driver becomes critical.
Deep Patel plays that role.
In corporate life, Deep leads distribution for a global automotive aftermarket brand. Meanwhile, he manages coffee farms and livestock operations. Rallying, therefore, becomes both escape and obsession.
Their bond strengthened through adversity. During the WRC Safari Rally in Kedong, the car crested at 170 km/h and lost control. Eight rotations later, the wreck lay destroyed. Deep fractured his tailbone. Nikhil required air evacuation.
Nevertheless, they rebuilt.
In 2025, despite missing two ARC rounds, early-season points secured them the FIA Africa Rally Championship WRC3 title. Nikhil became the only paraplegic driver to win a WRC category event at the Safari Rally.
For 2026, their objective is clear: a full season and a serious challenge for the overall ARC crown.
THE FAMILY THAT RACES TOGETHER
A System Built on Trust
Tinashe & Caroline Gatimu Kenya
Engineering Student & Motorsport Veteran
Motorsport is not a hobby for the Gatimu family; it is a shared mission.
Each January, they gather to map out the rally calendar. One daughter books accommodation. Their father handles logistics and car preparation. Caroline manages provisioning. Tinashe oversees gear and race essentials. Over 15 years, they have refined this system.
Today, Tinashe balances rallying with Electrical and Electronics Engineering studies at Strathmore University. Her academic path reflects intention. If she pushes machines to their limits, she wants to understand them entirely.
Inside the cockpit, roles sharpen.
Tinashe drives.
Caroline navigates.
The mother-daughter bond remains outside the doors. Instead, professionalism governs every stage.
A Dream Backed by Belief
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally tested them with unexpected speed and smooth roads. Still, adaptation became their strength.
For 2026, they debut a more powerful Ford Fiesta. With greater performance comes greater responsibility.
Tinashe’s approach remains measured: finish, learn, return stronger. Ultimately, she aims for the African Rally Championship and eventually the WRC.
After years of self-funding, KCB’s sponsorship changed everything. Caroline describes it simply: “an answered prayer.”
THE INDUSTRIALISTS
Discipline Over Aggression
Oscar Ntambi & Athuman Muhammad — Uganda
Industrialist & Electrical Engineer
Oscar Ntambi built his life around fabrication and machinery. Rallying, therefore, felt like a natural extension of his craft.
His Mitsubishi Evo X unlocked a new level of performance. However, the Safari Rally quickly reminds every driver that power alone is insufficient. Deep sand, jagged rocks, and unpredictable surfaces demand restraint.
That restraint comes from co-driver Athuman Muhammad.
Athuman leads a mechanical crew at Aston Auto Garage. For him, pace notes are not suggestions; they are survival tools. Years earlier, when a snapped propeller shaft threatened a championship campaign, he gathered the team and made a promise: they would win the final two rounds.
They did.
Consequently, Oscar trusts his navigator’s calm judgment, especially when aggression tempts him to push harder than conditions allow.
THE FASHION POWERHOUSE
Style Meets Speed
Queen Kalimpinya & Olivier Ngabo Rwanda
Fashion Merchandiser & Professional Mechanic
For Queen Kalimpinya, rallying complements her career in fashion rather than contradicting it. Managing garment supply chains requires sequencing, precision, and composure — qualities equally vital in motorsport.
As Rwanda’s only female rally driver, she once viewed the Safari Rally as distant and unattainable. However, after attending in 2025, ambition crystallised. When KCB offered sponsorship, the dream accelerated into reality.
Her mindset remains pragmatic: the stopwatch recognises performance, not gender.
Olivier Ngabo, a professional mechanic, anchors her with steady navigation. When a fuel pipe malfunction nearly ended their run, his calm instructions guided them safely through.
To young women watching, Queen offers a clear message: commit fully, and possibility expands.
A LEGACY BEYOND SPONSORSHIP
KCB’s involvement transcends branding. For 2026, the bank has committed KShs. 227 million, including direct crew support and event funding. Since 2021, total investment approaches KShs. 980 million.
Importantly, the support feels personal to the crews. Engines rebuilt. Crashes recovered. Campaigns revived.
Beyond competition, KCB integrates environmental stewardship, planting 5,000 trees and engaging schools in sustainability debates. Thus, the roar of engines aligns with responsibility.
THE 2026 ROUTE
A New Dawn in Naivasha
This year introduces structural change. In line with FIA regulations, the rally centres entirely on Naivasha
