The 37th edition of Kenya’s Rhino Charge 4x4 off-road competition will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Ngilai in Samburu County, with 65 vehicles entered across three categories, according to organisers and sponsors.

Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust said the annual event raises funds for conservation and protection of Kenya’s mountain ecosystems—often referred to as the country’s “Water Towers”—which underpin water security for households, agriculture and industry.

Safaricom PLC and M-PESA Foundation said they will provide a combined KES 114 million in sponsorship for the 2026 event. Of this, M-PESA Foundation committed KES 94 million to support Rhino Ark’s conservation activities, including fencing and protection of the Mount Elgon Forest (Suam Block) and restoration work in the Mau Forest Complex across Narok, Kericho and Bomet counties.

Safaricom said it contributed KES 20 million to support three participating cars and provide network connectivity during the event. Under the team support allocation, Car No. 44 received KES 15 million, while EV Explorers and Zambarau Heels on Wheels each received KES 1 million. The remaining KES 3 million is for network connectivity during the competition, according to the statement.

The 2026 field includes Safaricom-sponsored teams EV Explorers, led by Richard Kiplagat; AK44, led by Adil Khawaja; and the all-women team Zambarau Heels on Wheels. Organisers said vehicles will compete in Modified, Super Modified and Unmodified categories.

“The car is in great condition and the entire team is excited and ready to take on the course. I would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors, especially Safaricom and M-PESA, for their tremendous support,” said Adil Khawaja, Team Lead, Car No. 44 (AK44). He added that the team hoped to retain its position as the leading fundraiser while backing conservation efforts.

Rhino Ark said preparations were completed following scrutineering and security checks ahead of race day. “The stage is fully set for this year’s Rhino Charge, with 65 car entries ready to take on the challenge. Today’s scrutineering process was focused on ensuring that all participating vehicles meet the required standards, and I am pleased to confirm that everything is in place, including the necessary security arrangements,” said Christian Lambrechts, Executive Director of Rhino Ark.

EV participation will again feature in the 2026 event. “This marks our second participation in the Rhino Charge with an electric vehicle, following last year’s historic debut of an EV in the competition. We gained valuable lessons from that experience and have since made significant improvements to the vehicle,” said Richard Kiplagat, Team Lead, EV Explorers.

The organisers cited last year’s fundraising performance as an indicator of the event’s growing role as a financing platform for conservation-linked interventions. The 2025 Rhino Charge, held at Simo-Soi in Baringo North, raised KES 269.5 million, Rhino Ark said. AK44 emerged as the top fundraising team after raising KES 139.8 million. Car No. 23, led by Peter Kinyua, raised KES 13.5 million, while Car No. 63, led by Tim Carstens, raised KES 8.6 million, according to the organisers.

For Kenya’s business landscape, Rhino Charge has become a high-profile channel through which corporates and foundations support conservation projects that protect water catchments critical to power generation, irrigation, manufacturing supply chains and urban water systems. The 2026 sponsorship allocations also illustrate how corporate giving is being tied to specific, measurable interventions—such as fencing, protection and restoration—within major ecosystems.

Rhino Ark said the event’s proceeds support its work to conserve mountain range ecosystems. The 2026 competition at Ngilai will proceed on May 30, with participating teams targeting both performance on the course and fundraising for conservation programmes.