The dust has settled .The roaring engines have faded into the distance .The World Rally Championship (WRC) was hosted in Naivasha from 20th March to 23rd ,bringing with it and electrifying atmosphere that turned the town into a motorsport paradise. For four days, thousands of fans lined the roads, cheering as rally cars tore through the rugged terrain, kicking up clouds of dust and adrenaline.
A week later, on 1st April , the excitement is dead and what remains is not just the memory of high speed chases and podium celebrations ,it’s the aftermath ,broken roads ,overwhelmed hospitals and for some of us the scars both visible and unseen.
That weekend ,Naivasha was a different place .Traffic rules felt optional .Cars sped through the streets with reckless abandon and drunk driving was just another part of the party .As the celebrations reached a fever pitch ,law and order struggled to keep up.
I was just going about my day when it happened .A driver unfamiliar with Naivasha roads, took a wrong turn down a one way street .In a split second, my life changed .I barely had time to react before the car struck me with a severe soft tissue wound on my right foot .The pain was immediate but what followed was even worse; endless hospital visits, mounting medical bills and a trauma that refuses to fade.
The chaos wasn’t isolated .Hospitals filled up with victims ,bystanders struck by reckless drivers ,spectators left unconscious after collisions with careless motorbike riders and others dealing with injuries from theft related incidents .Police cells overflowed as law enforcement struggled to keep order .For four days ,Naivasha town wasn’t just a rally town ;it was a place teetering on the edge ,overwhelmed by the very event meant to bring excitement and celebration.
The chaos wasn’t unexpected. Every year ,WRC brings the same mix of excitement and disorder ,yet emergency preparedness remains an afterthought .There were no first aid tents at major intersections ,no rapid response teams stationed where they were needed the most .Instead ambulances struggled through traffic and hospitals were left to deal with the aftermath.
This wasn’t just an oversight ,it was negligence .With the scale of WRC emergency teams should have been strategically placed across Naivasha ,ready to handle inevitable accidents .If Red cross and other medical services had been better deployed the burden on hospitals could have been eased .
When accidents surged the roads ,the Nakuru County Government was busy hosting a free medical camp ,not at a hospital, but at a school .A well-intended initiative ,but one that failed to address the real crisis unfolding in the town .Wouldn’t it have made more sense to send more doctors to the hospitals? To set up mobile clinics where they were actually needed?
Instead of spending millions on billboard shouting “WRC IS COMING,” why weren’t there clear road signs guiding visitors? Why weren’t navigation apps updated with temporary traffic changes? A simple update on Google maps could have prevented the wrong turn that left me injured.
Now that WRC 2025 is over, Naivasha is left to deal with the consequences. The event brought in millions ,but how much of that will actually go into fixing what’s damaged ?How much will be spent improving the roads ,supporting the hospitals and ensuring that next year, safety is taken as seriously as the spectacle?
Naivasha loves WRC. Every year, the town opens its arms to the world, embracing the thrill of rally racing. However ,WRC must do better .It cannot just come ,conquer and leave chaos behind .It must give back not just in sponsorship deals and tourism revenue but in real, lasting improvements that make a difference long after the engines stop roaring .This time WRC left me with a wound .Next time, let it leave something better.
