Carl 'Flash' Tundo lands prestigious job at Safari Rally
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 24.02.26. | 15:03
The source further added that the government remains committed to honouring existing contracts before fully allowing the new sponsors to take up the rally
Veteran rally driver Carl 'Flash' Tundo has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the WRC Safari Rally.
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Tundo replaces Charles Gacheru, who has been holding the position for the last two years.
According to a reliable source at the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, the changes were necessitated by the need for the government to reduce funding for the project.
“Last year, the government announced that it would significantly reduce funding for the Safari Rally and would instead encourage the private sector to take it up.
“A new title sponsor who will put in Ksh1 billion has come on board, and they are the ones who have requested the changes,” said our source.
The source further added that the government remains committed to honouring existing contracts before fully allowing the new sponsors to take up the rally.
“There were certain obligations and contracts that were still running, and the government will fully meet them as per requirements to avoid breach. Then, after that, the new sponsors will fully take over.”
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya released a statement on Tuesday, 24 February, noting that the rally's project secretariat will be reverted back to the Ministry of Sports.
"Subsequently, the CEO, duly gazetted and seconded officers serving in the WRC Safari Rally Project Secretariat, as well as those with ongoing contractual engagements, will be reassigned back into the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports to serve until the conclusion of their respective contractual terms," read the statement in part.
This year’s Safari Rally will be held from Thursday, 12 to Sunday, 15 March in Naivasha.
The 53-year-old Tundo is a five-time winner of the Safari Rally before its return to the World Rally Championship (WRC).
He made history in 2009 when he won the rally while it was part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, making him the first and only Kenyan winner of an IRC round.
Gacheru, on the other hand, was appointed as CEO two years ago by former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba.