On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the final leg of the “WRC Safari Rally 2026” took place in Naivasha, Kenya. Two Rwandan cars completed the race, out of the four representing the country in the event.
The final day was challenging for Davite Giancarlo and Yoto Fabrice, driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STi 4 D, as they retired from the race after Stage 17 of 20 in the four-day event.
Christian Kanangire and Kevin Shyaka were the only remaining Rwandan duo in the competition, and they performed exceptionally well, finishing third in the second category of the African Rally Championship (ARC).
This marks a historic achievement, as it is the first time a Rwandan driver has participated in and completed a WRC event. In 2023, Giancarlo Davite took part in the WRC Safari Rally in Kenya but did not finish, despite competing alongside Sylvia Vindevogel in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 (R5) in the WRC2 category.
Kanangire said that the rally was tough, but the key to their success was perseverance and pride in representing Rwanda.
“The rally was extremely challenging, and we thank God we were able to finish. I believe you can see that just finishing was an achievement in itself, and we ended up in a great position in our category. We could have finished first, but we encountered some issues, and we are proud that Rwanda’s flag was raised in a positive position,” he said.
This international rally driver placed ninth in the first category of the African Rally Championship (ARC), which was won by Kenya’s Patel Karan, and finished 27th in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
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