The WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026 is officially underway, bringing the excitement, chaos and thrill that rally fans always look forward to. The event, which is the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, is happening from March 12 to March 15 in Naivasha, Nakuru County. This year’s rally marks the 74th edition and is being held fully in the Great Rift Valley, with no Nairobi start, meaning drivers are facing pure gravel roads and unpredictable conditions across 20 special stages.

The service park is based at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha, while famous stages such as Camp Moran, Mzabibu, Loldia, Kedong, Kengen Geothermal and the popular Sleeping Warrior are part of the route. These stages are known for rocky roads, narrow trails, high-speed sections and sudden weather changes that make the Safari Rally one of the toughest events in the world.

By the end of Day 2 on March 13, Oliver Solberg, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, was leading the rally after a dramatic start. Heavy rains on the opening day turned the roads into thick mud, making driving extremely difficult. Several drivers struggled with spins, delays and mechanical problems. Solberg handled the tough conditions well and finished the day with about a 30-second lead over his teammate Elfyn Evans, while Sébastien Ogier was in third place. Toyota drivers took the top positions early in the rally, showing strong performance.

The rally continues today with more challenging stages, including Camp Moran, Loldia, Kengen Geothermal and Kedong. Drivers are expected to face more rain, difficult roads and tough competition as they push to stay in the race. Large crowds have already gathered in Naivasha and the surrounding areas, bringing excitement and boosting tourism in the region.

This year’s Safari Rally is also important for Kenya as it could be the final one under the current hosting agreement, making the stakes even higher.

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When President William Ruto fulfilled his pledge to reward each Harambee Starlets player Ksh 1 million following their qualification for the 2026 WAFCON (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations), it set a new benchmark.

The same million-shilling incentive structure was extended to the Harambee Stars for CHAN (Championnat d’Afrique des Nations) performance, with Ksh 1 million promised per win and Ksh 500,000 per draw.

Even more striking, medal bonuses for international competitions were tripled. Gold medalists now receive Ksh 3 million (up from 750,000). Daily allowances for representing Kenya increased from Ksh 7,500 to Ksh 26,000.

For the first time in history, Kenyan athletes are not just applauded, they are financially incentivised at scale.

For parents watching from the sidelines, this changes the conversation at home. Sports are no longer a distraction from education.

Local talent, global contracts

On February 2, 2026, 22-year-old defender Collins Sichenje signed a 3.5-year contract with Charlton Athletic for a reported €1.9 million (approximately Ksh 288 million).

His journey from AFC Leopards to Sweden, Serbia, and now England proves that international scouts are watching Kenyan leagues. Moreover, talent does not have to leave the country unnoticed anymore. It can rise locally and transition globally.

The rise of multisport in Kenya

For decades, Kenya’s global sports identity was almost synonymous with long-distance running. Not anymore.

In January 2026, Angella Okutoyi swept four titles in one week: singles and doubles at the ITF World Tour Nairobi W35 tournament at Parklands Sports Club. Her dominance secured her an IOC Solidarity Scholarship worth a million, supporting her 2028 Olympic journey.

Meanwhile, the HSBC SVNS2 tournament held at Nyayo Stadium in February showcased not just the Kenya Shujaa (who took bronze), but also rising junior champions like the Rift Valley U16 Boys and Central Kenya U16 Girls.

At the 2026 Magical Kenya Open held at Karen Country Club, youth standout Njoroge Kibugu received presidential recognition and prizes reaching Ksh 5 million; a level of visibility previously unheard of for local young golfers.

Sports in Kenya are diversifying, and youth are leading the charge.

The government’s backing of the movement

The 2025/2026 sports budget reached Ksh 16.69 billion, with projections climbing to Ksh 25.49 billion for 2026/2027. Plans include funding:

• 30 new sports academies
• 22 stadiums
• Expanded grassroots programs

Sports have also been formally integrated into the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework, meaning children can now develop talent within the school system without sacrificing structured learning.

President Ruto reaffirmed this commitment at the closing ceremony of the Magical Kenya Open:

“We will continue investing in sports as a vital pillar of our national development, nurturing talent, creating opportunities for our youth, and strengthening Kenya’s standing on the global stage.”

Why parents should invest in sports early

Experts increasingly agree that structured sports from as early as ages four to five can significantly benefit children.

Brain & character development

Early participation improves memory, cognitive function, focus, and discipline. Sports build grit, perseverance, and emotional regulation.

Health & well-being

Regular activity supports physical fitness and reduces stress. It enhances self-confidence and combats the growing mental health pressures children face today.

Talent & career pathways

With clear scouting systems and increased financial incentives, sports now provide structured pathways to scholarships, international exposure, and professional contracts.

Holistic growth

Team sports teach communication, leadership, accountability, and resilience; skills that extend far beyond the field.

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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron took first place, ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in the first round of France’s presidential election on Sunday, but he is on course for a far closer second-round clash than five years ago.

While polling suggests Macron should retain the presidency in two weeks, first round results show the incumbent can’t rest on his laurels.

Le Pen will be able to count on voters from far-right TV-pundit-turned-politician Eric Zemmour, who called on his supporters to back her on April 24. Meanwhile, leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon fared better than expected and brings a heavy dose of uncertainty to the mix as his voters are a diverse bunch. Many are likely to abstain in the second round, while others will divide up between the French president and Le Pen.

Here are five takeaways from the presidential election’s first round:

“Politics is war without bloodshed
while war is politics with bloodshed.”

France’s repeat of the 2017 runoff confirms Macron’s and Le Pen’s own political analysis: That the divide between the left and the right is no longer relevant in France and has been replaced by an opposition between a mainstream bloc that is pro-European and open to the outside world on one side, and nationalists on the other. Both candidates scored higher than five years ago, leaving the traditional right and left in an even more shambolic state than before. Macron went from 24 percent in 2017 in the first round to 27.6 percent Sunday and Le Pen went from 21.3 percent to 23.4 percent.

The gap between them is higher than last time around, showing that Macron has managed to drum up the most votes despite controversies in the campaign’s last mile, including over the state’s overuse of consulting firms. But the far-right bloc — Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour and nationalist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan combined — garnered than 30 percent of the total vote.

I describe the “fun” parts of Only Yesterday because they’re wonderful, but also to make a point about the origin story we’ve learned about the mood of the ’20s. Looking back at Allen’s work from the vantage point of 1986, historian David M. Kennedy argued that the biggest failing of the book was its lack of historical depth: “Rarely did Allen forge an explanatory chain whose links ran back more deeply into the past than 1917.” And indeed, Allen seemed to blame World War I for every ash-covered carpet and scarred dining table.

Allen is also really good at describing parties—or, at least, the ones the middle class and upper class attended. The historian wrote about how women taking up smoking had “strewed the dinner table with their ashes, snatched a puff between the acts, invaded the masculine sanctity of the club car, and forced department stores to place ornamental ash-trays between the chairs in their women’s shoe departments.” In what I think may be the best passage in the book, Allen described the way 1920s partygoers stepped all over every previous genteel convention:

Anyway, let’s get to that fun. A very joyful book to read about the decade is Frederick Lewis Allen’s Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s, which Allen—a blueblood journalist and editor at Harper’s—published in 1931. The book chronicles all of the movement and motion that makes the decade sexy, and doesn’t seem to miss a fad.

The property, complete with a 30-seat screening room, a 100-seat amphitheater and a swimming pond with sandy beach and outdoor shower, was asking about $40 million, but J. Lo managed to make it hers for $28 million. As the Bronx native acquires a new home in California, she is trying to sell a gated compound.

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Perhaps by remembering the twenties merely as an enchanting series of novelties or the crude afterthought of a simpler past, we preserve the illusion of our own simple innocence,” mused historian Paula Fass in the introduction to her book The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s.

Whether that means there will be a longer-term far-right alliance is an open question. Nicolas Bay and Gilbert Collard — two MEPs who left Le Pen’s party to join Zemmour — didn’t endorse a possible alliance with Le Pen, in case she wins the second round.

Zemmour, a 63-year-old TV pundit-turned-politician, was once tipped to come second behind Macron, back in October. But he plummeted spectacularly in the polls after suffering from a perceived lack of credibility as the Ukraine war started and former comments praising Russian President Vladimir Putin resurfaced. He scored a measly 7 percent. Despite their bitter and unrelenting fighting throughout the campaign, he swiftly endorsed Marine Le Pen.

“I have disagreements with Marine Le Pen,” Zemmour said at his concession speech Sunday, “but there is a man facing Marine Le Pen who has let in 2 million immigrants … who would therefore do worse if he were reelected — it is for this reason that I call on my voters to vote for Marine Le Pen.”