By Mwambazi Lawrence –

This morning at the Moil Petro Station, excitement filled the air as Uganda’s rally fraternity gathered to flag off a convoy of fans aboard Friends Coaches. Their destination: Morogoro, Tanzania. Their mission: to give unrelenting support to the Moil Rally Team crew of Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba, who stand on the brink of history.

After three near-misses, Nasser and Katumba are now within touching distance of securing Uganda’s first African Rally Championship (ARC) title since the legendary Charles Muhangi, codriven by Steven Byaruhanga, lifted the crown back in 1999. Since then, Uganda has watched from the sidelines as other nations dominated the continental stage.

This year, the dream is alive again. Nasser, behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta R5, leads the ARC standings but only by a razor-thin margin. The equations are simple yet brutal: a finish in first or second place will keep the title in his grasp, but much also hinges on whether Kenya’s Samman Vohra, currently second in the standings, falters.

The task ahead, however, is nothing short of herculean. The Morogoro Rally entry list features a highly competitive field of 10 ARC-registered crews, with six R5 machines lined up against just four Group N cars. Nasser and Katumba will have to dig deep against some of Africa’s fiercest competitors.

Among the ARC contenders:

• Samman Vohra / Drew Sturrock (Kenya) – Skoda Fabia Evo, lying 2nd in the ARC standings.
• Karan Patel / Tauseef Khan (Kenya) – Returning with a freshly rebuilt Skoda Fabia R5.
• Arkif Virani / Zahir Shah (Kenya) – Skoda Fabia R5.
• Naveen Puligilla / Musa Sharif (India) – Ford Fiesta Rally3.
• Mohamed Roshanali Abbas / Christophe Bigirimana (Burundi) – Subaru Impreza GVB.
• Ahmed Huwel / Roheet Solanki (Tanzania) – Toyota GR Yaris, leading the home team.
• Altaaf Munge / Victor Jackson (Tanzania) – Ford Fiesta R5.
• Prince Charles Nyerere / Charles Nyerere (Tanzania) – Mitsubishi EvoX, also vying for ARC2 honours.
• Shehzad Munge / Aaron John (Tanzania) – Mitsubishi EvoX.

Beyond the ARC field, the rally will also see big names from Tanzania’s national championship, including reigning champion Manveer Birdi with Kenya’s Ravi Chana in a Mitsubishi Evo9, as well as Gurpal Sandhu / Dave Sihoka (Mitsubishi EvoX) and Randeep Singh / Manmeet Birdi (Mitsubishi Evo9).

So as Uganda holds its breath. From the silent prayers whispered in living rooms back home, one dream unites the nation: to see the Ugandan flag flying high once again on Africa’s grandest rally stage. Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba are not just chasing points they are chasing history, the kind that will echo far beyond the finish line. Whatever the outcome, their courage has already ignited a fire in every Ugandan heart. But should they return with that ARC crown, it won’t just be a victory for two men in a rally car it will be a victory for every fan who dared to believe that, 26 years later, Uganda could roar again.