By Daniel Nyeko
Uganda’s rally pair of Yasin Nassr and Ali Katumba sealed a historic Africa Rally Championship title after finishing fourth at the season-ending Mkwawa Rally in Tanzania on September 21.
The Ford Fiesta Mk II crew tallied 135 points across the 2025 season, edging Kenya’s Samman Singh Vohra by a single point to become Uganda’s first champions since the legendary Charles Muhangi and Stephen Byaruhanga in 1999.
The ARC, Africa’s top FIA-sanctioned rally series, staged rounds this year in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Kenya’s Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan won the final rally, with Vohra and his British co-driver Drew Sturrock second and Tanzania’s Ahmed Huwel and Vili Oslaj third.
But the Ugandan duo’s consistent podium runs earlier in the year gave them the cushion they needed to clinch the overall crown despite the fourth-place finish.
The victory ends a 26-year drought for Ugandan motorsport and adds a new chapter to the ARC’s rich history, which dates back to 1981 and often shares routes with the World Rally Championship’s famed Safari Rally. Zambia’s Satwant Singh remains the series’ most decorated driver with eight career titles.
Ugandan motorsport officials say the triumph offers a springboard for sports tourism.
With the government and the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda eyeing future ARC events, plans are underway to use the rally’s global following to showcase Uganda’s landscapes and drive economic benefits through coordinated marketing and cross-sector partnerships.
