Feature: Off-road motorsport rally brings joy, unity to insecure Kenyan village

The Star

2 days ago

NAIROBI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Joshua Changun, a 61-year-old farmer from Ngatuko village in Baringo County, northwestern Kenya, stands on the edge of a cliff, watching a modified off-road vehicle grinding and jostling through the rugged terrain.
His facial expressions shift rapidly, from amazement to terror and back to bewilderment, as the machines roar over rocks and rattle through the wilderness.
For Changun, a lifelong resident of the area, the scene is unlike anything he has witnessed before. The popular off-road motorsport event, Rhino Charge, has come to his village for the first time, bringing with it an unexpected sense of excitement and togetherness.
"I have never seen so many happy faces in one place," he said in a recent interview. "The only time we usually gather in such numbers is during peace efforts when the area experienced distress."
Nestled in Kenya's Rift Valley, Baringo County is renowned for its scenic hills and wildlife tourism. But over the years, the region has been plagued by insecurity, including rampant banditry and cattle rustling. Local police reports cite repeated loss of lives and destruction of property.
For residents like Changun, daily life often means staying indoors and venturing outside only when absolutely necessary.
Changun said the motorsport event unexpectedly united the community. Neighbours who previously avoided one another or clashed over resources were now sharing laughter as they watched the vehicles maneuver through the terrain.
"This is something new for us. Everyone came out to watch, even those we used to fight over water and pasture," he said.
Nearby, Rose Nasewa paused on her way to fetch water, unable to resist turning to watch the game. "There are so many people around that I can go to the river in peace, without fear," she said. "I don't know if this peace will last, but we will enjoy it while it does."
Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi acknowledged the region's fragility but stressed that initiatives like tourism and conservation could offer long-term solutions to the persistent insecurity.
"Baringo has so much to offer, including large water bodies like Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria, rare wildlife like the Rothschild's giraffe, and now it is even a venue for sporting events," said Cheboi.
Since its inception, the annual Rhino Charge, where teams compete to reach rugged checkpoints using the shortest possible route, has raised over 2.4 billion Kenyan shillings (about 18.5 million U.S. dollars) for conservation efforts in some key water towers: the Aberdares, Mount Kenya and the Mau Forest. These funds have helped protect more than 80,000 families from human-wildlife conflict.
This year's event raised 2.08 million dollars, with around 62,000 dollars allocated directly to the host community for a project of their choice. Nasewa hopes the money will be used to upgrade local health dispensaries and rebuild schools damaged during past attacks by bandits.
As the event winds down and teams begin to dismantle their camps, both Nasewa and Changun express a shared wish that the peace and unity brought, however briefly, by Rhino Charge may outlast the roar of engines.