Written By | Alex Mbamanya
Kenyan rally driver Karan Patel in action last year in Mbarara (All photos by Alex Mbamanya)
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Motor rally fans in the Ankole region will not miss out on entertainment after it was confirmed that the more competitive Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally will once again be hosted in Mbarara. This follows the release of a draft schedule for the 2026 national motorsport events by the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU), which named Mbale as the host of the opening National Rally Championship (NRC) event and Mbarara as the host of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) round.
Happy Katehangwa, a rally driver and a member of the Mbarara Motor Club (MMC) executive, said the decision to allocate the first NRC event to Mbale followed an adjustment of the calendar to start in March instead of the usual January due to the general elections in Uganda.
Excited rally fans during last year's event in Kibega, Mbarara
“We should instead be thankful for the arrangement because the Pearl of Africa Rally is much bigger than the NRC. Since the Pearl is in May and the NRC is at the end of March, Mbarara would not have had enough time to organise both events, which would have come within a space of just one month,” Katehangwa said.
Since 1997, Mbarara has traditionally hosted the opening round of the National Rally Championship, commonly known as the Mbarara Rally, making it a historic fixture in Uganda’s motorsport calendar.
Kenya's Samman Vohra in action during last year's event in Mbarara
Last year, Mbarara hosted both events in February and May, with the Pearl of Africa Rally being held in the city for the first time. Based on safety and organisation scores, both drivers and officials ranked Mbarara highly, which is why the event has been brought back this year.
Uganda’s Yasin Nasser is the reigning ARC champion after accumulating enough points in the final 2025 event in Morogoro, Tanzania. He became only the second Ugandan, after the late Charles Muhangi, to win the accolade, ending a 26-year wait.
Paraplegic Kenya rally driver Nikhil Sachania in action in Kibega, Mbarara last year
Navigated by Ali Katumba, Nasser will compete in a Ford Fiesta R2. Alongside reigning NRC champion Ronald Ssebuguzi, Ponsiano Lwakataka, and Duncan Mubiru “Kikankane,” they are expected to be the teams to beat in the upcoming season, whose start was delayed due to the elections in Uganda.
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