| The final preparation for this year’s Rhino Charge is complete after the inspection of competing cars ended at dusk yesterday evening in the scenic landscape of Nkoteyia Community Conservancy in Samburu County.
The competitor cars’ official inspection process known as ‘scrutineering’ was conducted from 8:30am to 5:00pm ahead of the actual race tomorrow morning. After the scrutineering, Don White, the Chairman of the Rhino Charge Committee and Clerk of the Course, presided over the drivers’ briefing where he provided important information on safety to competitors, including the all-important route maps. Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy on Road Safety, also addressed the competitors at the briefing.
At the crack of dawn today, a total of 52 cars out of a potential maximum of 65 potential Charge cars will be racing across the rugged terrain of Nkoteyia in the undulating hills of the Ewaso Nyiro landscape. Each competing car is allowed a maximum of six people.
Samburu County, the hosts of this year’s Charge, was partly made famous by the popular song Safari ya Samburu by the ever-green Les Wanyika Band, the cricket warriors and the annual International Camel Derby. One can also discover the rich Samburu culture as they traverse through the dramatic arid and semi-arid terrain on horse or camel back.
While at the #RhinoCharge 2023 be sure to spot the Samburu Special Five unique to this year’s host county. Most people have heard of the Big Five, but few know about the Samburu Special Five. The roll call for these unique and rare creatures on a game drive through rugged Samburu landscape include the Grevy’s zebra, long-necked gerenuk, Somali ostrich, long-horned Beisa oryx and striking reticulated giraffe. And the best part is, most of these animals can’t be found anywhere else in Africa.
The Rhino Charge annually raises funds for the conservation activities implemented by Rhino Ark. As a conservation organisation, Rhino Ark is deeply sensitive to minimising any adverse environmental impact that could derive from its operations. This extends to the unique Rhino Charge 4*4 event.
To prevent any significant damage to the venue environment, the duration of the competition is limited to 10 hours and only 65 competition cars may participate in the event. The Rhino Charge is also organised each year in a different location to avoid cumulative impact from consecutive events and to spread the benefits to host communities.
One of the main environmental challenges of organising an event with between 2,500 and 3,500 officials, participants and spectators in the most remote wilderness areas of Kenya is the management of waste. In keeping with Rhino Ark’s conservation mission, the Rhino Charge Committee is dedicated to leaving each venue as they found it. To this end, stringent rules have been set by the Committee to ensure that no refuse is left anywhere in the entire Rhino Charge venue. This includes a system of fines that is strictly implemented to address refuse generated by competitors and spectators. In addition, a team of waste collectors equipped with two pick-up vehicles inspect all the camps daily and collect all the refuse generated. To promote refuse recycling, a Waste Sorting Station is set up at the venue. Glass, cans, tins, and plastic bottles, among others, are separated and brought back to Nairobi for recycling.
Furthermore, Rhino Ark has committed to make the Rhino Charge climate neutral, namely to offset the CO2 emissions related to the event by purchasing corresponding amounts of carbon credits on the market. Rhino Ark purchased offsets to compensate for the CO2 emissions from the last Rhino Charge held in 2019. The offsets came from a project implemented in the Chyullu Hills aiming at reducing deforestation and land degradation.
This year’s Rhino Charge main events are as follows:
• Today, Friday, 2nd June – Scrutineering (inspection of the Competing Cars)
• Tomorrow, Saturday, 3rd June – Rhino Charge
• Sunday, 4th June – Prize-giving
Kindly note that general information about the Rhino Charge is available online on the Rhino Charge website www.rhinocharge.co.ke. Digital contents about the Charge and Rhino Ark can be accessed at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17zpkaom5x6WlMP7nDbIN2a86u3Sub1_l?usp=sharing
The digital channels of the Rhino Charge and Rhino Ark are:
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