Across Kenya’s Toughest Rally Terrain, Safaricom Builds the Network Keeping the 2026 Safari Rally Running
Across the Rift Valley stages where rally cars disappear into dust within seconds, a temporary network rises to keep the race visible to the rest of the world
The Safari Rally Kenya has long been associated with the image of raw endurance. Cars pound through volcanic dust. And sometimes, mud baths. Drivers contend with the unpredictable terrain of the Kenyan Rift Valley. Survival of the fittest plays a large role in determining the outcome of the rally before speed does.
But a new competition is now being contested alongside the rally. This one is done through radio frequencies, fiber optics, and mobile communications.
Safari Rally connectivity is now an essential requirement of the modern World Rally Championship. Live coverage of the event depends on a reliable network. Rally officials need to receive telemetry signals constantly sent by the rally cars. Emergency response teams rely on digital signals sent to them rather than radio communications alone.
This invisible network now puts Safaricom at the center of the technical universe of the Safari Rally.
Motorsport is the name of the game. Connectivity is what makes the game possible.
Rally Terrain Meets the Limits of Network Coverage
The rally terrain is not conducive to a good communications network. The rally crosses through farmlands, brushlands, and wildlife habitats around Naivasha and Nakuru. It later crosses over to the escarpments around Hell’s Gate National Park.
Mobile signals have traditionally thinned out in these regions. Much of the rally route is located at some distance from mobile towers.
But during the week of the rally, it is not possible to ignore the gaps. International media arrive. Thousands of spectators line up on the stages. The media want to upload their footage from the remote ridges while the rally is still underway on the roads below.
The environment is one of brief bursts of digital demand in an environment that was never designed to handle such traffic.
The Safari Rally is a temporary engineering effort.
Cell on Wheels: Temporary Towers in a Moving Event
To address these coverage gaps, Safaricom uses portable base stations called Cell on Wheels. This mobile base station can be transported along the rally route, near the spectator areas, or the stage control points.
It is a communication hub mounted on a truck platform. Once activated, the mobile base station provides coverage over areas that were not covered before.
The idea is simple, but the execution is not so simple. Engineers have to plan the routes for the stages. The towers have to be placed at areas that are accessible by the rough service roads used for the rally. The power supply has to work even when the weather gets bad or when the crowd gathers around the same areas as the spectator points.
This network expands and shrinks according to the event. The towers are erected only where the rally is, and they are removed after the last stage. For a short time, the towers create a network of connectivity over the rugged landscape.
The Rally Car as a Data Source
The modern rally car also sends a continuous flow of telemetry data. Position data is transmitted in real-time to the race control. The timing splits are updated in real-time as drivers pass through the stage checkpoints.
This data is part of the administrative side of the racing championship.
In Kenya, a technology company that deals in motorsport technology solutions is known as RBI Sport. The company offers timing and rally management solutions for international rallies. The company relies on Safaricom’s network to transmit data that makes the rally happen.
The cars that take part in the rally have connected devices that transmit data such as position and speed. The officials who manage the rally monitor all these data streams in a centralized system that coordinates stage management and verification, and safety issues. Without connectivity, these systems shut down and use manual processes as a fallback.
The administration of motorsport racing relies on the same networks that Safaricom offers to its general subscribers.
Smart Sensors and the Rescue Fleet
Safety operations have also begun to adopt the connected era.
Rescue vehicles along the rally routes are equipped with IoT telematics devices. These devices are part of the larger Safaricom Internet of Things network.
These smart sensors have the capacity to identify severe impacts during accidents. When the accident is severe enough, the sensors automatically send an alert to the rally command center with the exact location.
The alert system reduces the response time. There is no longer a need to await confirmation of the exact location of the accident from the stage marshals. The alert provides immediate information on the location of the accident.
The rescue fleet of the rally can now be considered a network.
The technology alters the response time to emergencies on the rally routes. Time is crucial on the rally routes.
Streaming the Safari Rally to a Global Audience
The World Rally Championship operates as a global broadcast product. Viewers follow each stage through live streaming platforms that carry onboard footage, drone coverage, and real time timing updates.
That viewing experience depends on network capacity across locations where traditional broadcasting infrastructure rarely exists.
During the Safari Rally, mobile connectivity carries part of that workload. Broadcast crews transmit footage from cameras scattered along the rally route. Media teams upload photos and video from temporary press zones.
Safaricom also provides bulk data connectivity to 11 media houses covering the rally outside the official media center. Those journalists move between stages, uploading content from locations where the nearest town may sit dozens of kilometers away.
The rally therefore becomes an unusual broadcasting environment. A major international event takes place across open countryside while relying on a network assembled specifically for the occasion.
The M-PESA Economy Arrives at the Rally
The culture of the spectators surrounding the rally has developed over time to match the developments in connectivity. Instead of carrying radios to the rally, the spectators carry smartphones. Instead of accessing the results of the stages on the radios, they use live apps to get the results. Instead of broadcasting the rally on the radios, they broadcast from strategic viewpoints along the rally route.
Digital payments are the latest addition to the environment of the rally.
The food stalls, the transport providers, and the campsites along the rally route in Naivasha town rely on M-PESA during the rally. The spectators make payments through M-PESA. This brings us to a necessity. Payment can only be made through M-PESA if the connectivity is stable.
The success of the digital economy surrounding the rally depends on the same connectivity that enables the global broadcast of the rally.
Motorsport as a Technology Showcase
Corporate sponsorship tends to be background information for sporting events. The sponsorship logos are prominently displayed on banners and timing boards, but the sporting event itself is in the foreground.
Safari Rally connectivity brings the sponsor to the foreground.
Spectators take notice when network coverage appears in areas that do not normally have good mobile network coverage. Reporters can transmit video from remote locations in minutes. The network is part of the story.
Safaricom’s sponsorship of the Safari Rally can be thought of as an infrastructure demo. The company is demonstrating what its network can do in unusual circumstances where network coverage needs to be rapidly extended and can handle unexpected network traffic. The demo is in the real world rather than a lab
Community Activity Along the Rally Route
The rally crosses paths with different communities in the region. The spectators pass through towns that have service parks and accommodations. There are also markets along the way.
During the week-long rally, a medical camp is set up in Nakuru. The camp offers medical services to the locals and the rally spectators. During the week-long rally, a medical camp is set up in Nakuru. The camp offers medical services to the locals and the rally spectators. The event brings a different pace to the rally. The motorsport spectators meet at the medical camp. The temporary structures set up for a sporting event meet the needs for a different type of event.
“The 2026 edition of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya is expected to draw thousands of local and international fans to Naivasha and surrounding counties, with millions more following the action worldwide. Delivering seamless connectivity across rugged terrain remains critical to ensuring real-time broadcasting, safety coordination, and digital fan engagement,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom
Go to TECHTRENDSKE.co.ke for more tech and business news from the African continent and across the world.
Follow us on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to editorial@techtrendsmedia.co.ke
