^{It’s official -Let Him Cook is now live!}

^{Kenya’s celebrated artist and entrepreneur, King Kaka, in partnership with Bio Food Products Ltd, Highlands Drinks Ltd, and Ma Cuisine Ltd, brought together fans, friends, and industry partners for a vibrant evening at the “Let Him Cook” Red Carpet Watch Party held on Monday, 19th May 2025 at Replay NBO, Broadwalk Mall.}

^{This also marked the release of Episode 1 of the highly anticipated cooking show.}

^{The exclusive invite-only event kicked off with a red-carpet experience, where guests were welcomed with flashing lights, high fashion, and media interviews by top mainstream stations and digital content creators.}

^{The evening set the tone for an unforgettable night of entertainment, creativity, and celebration.}

^{Guests were treated to a live cooking show where King Kaka, known for his lyrical genius, stepped into an entirely new role-chef for the night.}

^{In a captivating mix of humor, storytelling, and skill, Kaka prepared a full meal live on stage, sharing a few laughs and taste tests with lucky audience members.}

^{The immersive show blended food, personality, and performance in a way only King Kaka could deliver.}

^{"This partnership with King Kaka speaks to more than just brand alignment — it’s about authenticity, purpose, and celebrating local excellence,” said Waithera Ng’ang’a, Group Director, Corporate Affairs.}

^{“King Kaka’s values, influence, and ability to connect with real people make him the perfect voice for a show that champions bold, honest conversations around food and identity.”}

^{In his closing remarks, King Kaka expressed heartfelt gratitude to his fans, celebrity friends, and partners who showed up in support of the new project.}

^{"This is a new side of me, and I’m humbled by the love. Thank you for believing in the vision,” he shared.}

^{Let Him Cook episodes will air every Monday at 8:00 PM on King Kaka’s official YouTube channel.}

By James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer, Qlik^®

If you asked any CEO today what their organisation’s most important asset is, a common response would be their people, and rightly so. But if you asked them which is the asset that helped their company create an ‘unfair advantage’, you may get a different response.

Frans Feldberg, in a talk at Qlik’s AI Reality Tour event in Amsterdam recently, framed it like this. Uber is a car service company that doesn’t own any cars. Airbnb is a real estate rental company that doesn’t own any real estate. What is their most prized asset that has given them a unique advantage in the market? It’s data.

Indeed, Uber’s vast trove of real-time and historical transportation data enables dynamic pricing, efficient driver-rider matching and route optimisation. And Airbnb's extensive collection of user preferences, booking patterns and property information allows for personalised recommendations and pricing optimisation for hosts.

Companies that recognise the value in their data, and manage it effectively to unlock it, end up opening a treasure of new and unique opportunities for their business. I have worked in the data space for over two decades, and I have seen this play out time and time again. So, after exploring how companies can get the unfair advantage through a great tech ecosystem, and by building resiliency, I thought it was time to investigate what I think is another critical path to organisational success: unlocking your data’s hidden treasures.

Hidden Treasure #1: Unstructured data

Unstructured data – the information that is locked away in your text files, documents, emails, video files, images and so on - is arguably the biggest hidden data treasure.

It likely represents about 80 to 90 percent of an organisation’s information, growing at an exponential rate… and largely remaining untapped. A study that the firm ETR conducted for Qlik in April 2024 found that while companies understood the value potential of being able to deliver insights from that data, less than one third felt their organisation was well equipped to do so. So, for businesses that have been able to harness it, this creates a clear advantage.

This has been the case for Airbnb, which created a market edge with a great platform that connects a vast network of unique accommodations with travellers seeking personalised experiences, and which continues to show strong financial performance despite some signs of slowing growth and market normalisation.

The company effectively utilises unstructured data to enhance customer experience. It developed a system called the Listing Attribute Extraction Platform (LAEP) to gather important information about property listings from unstructured text data, like descriptions and reviews. Instead of relying on hosts to provide all details manually, LAEP automatically identifies key features of listings, such as amenities and facilities.

The system works by breaking down text to recognise specific phrases, matching them to standard categories in Airbnb’s database, and assessing how confidently it can identify these features. By analysing various sources of guest interactions, LAEP helps Airbnb better understand what makes each listing unique. This automated approach not only improves the accuracy of listing information but also enhances the overall experience for guests. It allows Airbnb to offer more personalised services and make informed decisions about how to present properties on their platform.

AI plot twist: Generative AI is providing organisations with new ways to harness unstructured data and generate insights from it without needing to build it all yourself. At the same time, your AI models need all the right contextual data – structured and unstructured - to generate content and provide answers that are relevant and accurate.

Bottom line: Whether it’s to make the most informed decisions for your business, enhance customer experience, or to ensure you create value with your AI projects, unstructured data is a hidden data treasure that is critical for you to unlock.

Hidden Treasure #2: Real-Time Data

It’s easy to see the market advantage real-time data can provide organisations when it allows them to make swift, informed decisions, respond instantly to market changes, optimise operations, manage risks more effectively or deliver personalised customer experiences.

But as I see it, real-time data remains a hidden treasure for many companies: it is there but is not yet being fully leveraged. There is a variety of reasons for this being the case, ranging from the technical complexity in implementing real-time systems, substantial costs associated with upgrading infrastructure and acquiring skilled personnel, and data governance issues related to ensuring quality and security in real-time environments.

Uber, the company that, to quote their mission, “reinvented the way the world moves for the better”, has distinguished itself through its ability to harness real-time data. The company's sophisticated Gairos platform processes and analyses enormous streams of instantaneous information from diverse sources, including rider requests, driver locations, traffic conditions, and weather patterns. This constant influx of data fuels critical functions such as dynamic pricing, which adjusts fares in real-time based on current supply and demand. Uber's advanced matching algorithms utilise up-to-the-second data to efficiently pair riders with nearby drivers, significantly reducing wait times.

The company also equips drivers with live heat maps displaying areas of high demand, enabling them to strategically position themselves for maximum efficiency. Finally, Uber's robust stream processing infrastructure handles petabytes of data daily, supporting real-time decision making across all aspects of the business, from customer experience to operational efficiency and market expansion strategies.

AI plot twist: Timely data is critical also for your AI projects. You may remember that early versions of ChatGPT could only retrieve information up to September 2021, which, needless to say, was a huge hinderance in helping ensure accuracy of the information it generated. Timely data requires the right technology solutions include change data capture to locate and record high-velocity database changes and instantly send those updates to a system or process downstream, stream data capture to capture data emitted at a high volume in a continuous, incremental manner with the goal of low-latency processing, and continuous data processing to instantaneously update downstream data stores (operational and analytical) for the latest data.

Bottom line: as timely data is one of the six data principles for AI-ready data, and it informs better decisions, it’s critical for your organisation to be able to harness it.

Hidden Treasure #3: External Data

External data, that information generated and collected from sources outside of a company's own operations, is another hidden treasure for many companies.

But while organisations have made progress in utilising their internal data, relatively few have fully leveraged the power of external data sources. Companies that successfully integrate a wide range of external data into their operations can get valuable insights that complement internal data and offer a broader perspective on markets, customers, and trends, and ultimately gain significant advantages in growth, productivity and risk management.

But leveraging external data presents several challenges, including navigating a fragmented and rapidly expanding data landscape, evaluating the quality and economic value of data products, updating existing data infrastructure, and addressing privacy concerns and consumer scrutiny.

Netflix's strategic use of external data has provided the company with a significant market advantage in the streaming industry. By leveraging a wide array of external sources, including box office information, critic reviews, social media trends and performance data from other platforms and networks, Netflix gains valuable insights into audience preferences and emerging trends. This external data informs critical decisions in content acquisition, production strategies and talent recruitment.

For instance, Netflix uses industry-wide performance metrics and cultural data to evaluate potential new content and understand regional preferences. In negotiations with top talent, the company can present comprehensive data on how a creator's work performs across various audience segments, demonstrating the potential reach and impact available through their platform. Additionally, Netflix utilises external technical data, such as internet speed information, to optimise streaming quality in different regions. This approach has enabled Netflix to make more informed decisions, attract high-profile creators and tailor its content and technical performance to diverse global audiences, ultimately strengthening its position as a leader in the competitive streaming market.

AI plot twist: While not every AI use case in your organisation will benefit from external data, there are many that will need it. Key applications include market intelligence for analysing trends and competitor activities, supply chain optimisation using factors like weather and traffic data, customer insights for personalised experiences, risk management and fraud detection leveraging public records and social media, and predictive maintenance through equipment data and historical records. However you decide to approach this, make sure you use external data in a way that is ethical and responsible.

Bottom line: Your organisation is impacted by external factors so you should always consider how the unique combination of your data with external data will give you an unfair advantage.

Bonus Hidden Treasure: Multi-Modal Data

What if you could leverage all of these types of data together to drive an outcome? That is effectively multi-modal data: as we saw, unstructured, real-time and external data each hold great value potential; but using them in combination acts as value multiplier.

Think of the value this can bring to a healthcare organisation that can leverage a patient's electronic health record, an X-ray image, a radiologist's description of an X-ray, and blood test results combined to improve patient diagnosis.

Mount Sinai Health System employs multimodal data to enhance patient diagnosis by integrating diverse sources such as electronic health records, medical imaging, genomic data and clinical notes. Through advanced AI and machine learning algorithms, the system analyses this comprehensive data to improve diagnostic accuracy and predict patient deterioration in real-time.

AI plot twist: Gartner predicts that by 2027, 40 percent of generative AI solutions will be multimodal, up from just one percent in 2023, highlighting the potential for these models to capture relationships across different data streams and support more complex human-AI interactions. This shift is expected to provide competitive advantages and accelerate time-to-market for enterprises.

Bottom line: Putting all the right data in your corner will help you unlock the most value.

Don’t Forget Your People

With all that said, I strongly believe that data alone is not enough to deliver magic for your organisation. To truly unlock its potential, you need the right people with dual data and AI literacy skills, possessing the ability to not only interpret and analyse data but also understand the capabilities and limitations of the AI systems that leverage it.

Ultimately, it's the synergy between data and people that creates the magic, enabling companies to pivot quickly, innovate effectively, and create their unfair advantage.

A new report on the State of Safety and Security of Bloggers in Kenya shows an increase in the number of deaths, abductions and arrests of bloggers and activists in Kenya in 2024.

The report titled Devolved Impunity: The Safety and Security of Bloggers in Kenya (2019 - 2024) has been produced by Paradigm Initiative, Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) and Article 19 Eastern Africa. It has mapped violations between 2019 and 2024.

It states that the safety and security of bloggers in Kenya remain precarious, with the majority of the challenges arising from legal, political and technological threats. As much as legal platforms have expanded the space for free expression, bloggers face increasing risks, including harassment, surveillance, arbitrary arrests and cyber threats, the report adds.

Speaking during the launch of the report, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative pointed out that many governments are beginning to legalise illegal activities, with some of them investing in spyware to monitor journalists

“Mass surveillance should be illegal without legal frameworks to guide and make sure nothing goes wrong. But many governments are beginning to use existing laws around terrorism, and cybercrime, to then make legal what should not be legal and that is a challenge because what that does is that in many countries where some of your colleagues work we have had scenarios where governments have invested in spyware to monitor journalists and impede the work that they do,” he said.

On his part, James Wamathai, Partnerships and Advocacy Manager, Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) said: “We are asking to be protected. The same human rights should be protected and preserved online. If one class of society is not safe, no one is safe. The safety and security of bloggers is something everyone should care about.”

Demas Kiprono, Deputy Director, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Kenya chapter, said the report showcases democratic space has moved online where Kenyans are engaging government and people in power online and this had come with inherent risks.

“This is a trend that has been happening and what we see is a need to safeguard the place, review laws, sensitize Kenyans on their rights. As civil society, we will continue to push for these reforms through litigation and advocacy to ensure democratic space is protected. There needs to be an understanding these rights enable a person to have their dignity. When you speak about what is happening to you and government progammes that don’t work, you should not be victimized, he added.

Angela Minayo, Programmes Officer, Article 19 Eastern Africa said the relevance of our work has never been more relevant than in the current Kenya. “We have seen a shift in the respect for human rights, and intolerance to criticisms and this has found its way to the county governments.”

“Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act is the law of choice. We have problematic sections in that law. Beyond offences of the act, we should be concerned with the investigative process. Government agencies have so much investigative powers. We are also concerned about the composition of the NC4. The amendment bill seeks to empower NC4, giving them additional role to block websites found to be conducting illegal activities. Let us be on the lookout for the act and amendments to the Act. We are also asking the Court of Appeal to prioritise the case which is currently in court,” she said.

The report indicates that enforcing laws such as the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act has raised concerns about the criminalisation of online speech, limiting press freedom and discouraging critical discourse. “The use of arrests, legal intimidation, digital surveillance and even enforced disappearances demonstrates a pattern of suppression targeting those who challenge authority,” it states.

This, the report further states, is despite constitutional guarantees of free expression and important court rulings that have struck down overly broad laws.  According to the report, bloggers, have continued to face arbitrary enforcement of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, as well as other legal and extralegal threats. 

The report recommends collaboration between civil society, media organisations, and policymakers in fostering a safer online environment, adding that addressing these is essential for ensuring that Kenya upholds its commitment to freedom of expression and the protection of digital rights in the evolving online landscape.

Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has announced a KES.46.5 million sponsorship for the upcoming 2025 WRC Safari Rally.

The Safari Rally will be held from Thursday, 20th, to Sunday, 23rd, in Naivasha.

Safaricom has come on board as the official technology partner to provide seamless and speedy network connectivity through the provision of six (6) Cell on Wheels (C.O.W.s) and optimization of the speedy 5G connectivity in crucial areas for fans, teams, and officials.

The installation of the C.O.W.s will boost network capacity along key routes and viewing areas, including Kedong, Elementaita, Soysambu, Morendat, and Hell’s Gate.

The sponsorship will also cover two (2) fully kitted world-class media centers at the Service Park, and Hell’s gate, supporting journalists and global live streaming of the event. Additionally, Safaricom will provide bulk data bundles to various media houses covering the event, ensuring they stay connected even when outside the media centers.

“This marks the fifth year that Safaricom has shown big support for the WRC Safari Rally since its return to Kenya in 2020. While we initially supported young drivers under the FIA programme, this year we are stepping in as the technology partner to enable seamless and fast network connectivity, ensuring smooth and efficient global streaming of the event. Beyond the track, we’re setting up a medical camp in the Naivasha town to provide essential health services. This is our way of ensuring that the local community also benefits from the WRC,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO.

As part of the partnership, Safaricom will also install telematic gadgets and a Smart Vehicle Tracking System in the safety caravan vehicles, including ambulances to ensure proper safety management and seamless safety response for spectators and rallying teams.

“Preparations are in top gear ahead of the 2025 WRC Safari Rally, which kicks off on Thursday. I want to thank Safaricom for their continued support over the past five years, ensuring we stay connected with a strong network during this iconic global event. I urge fans to turn up in large numbers to witness the magic of the Safari Rally, as we cheer on our homegrown heroes and international stars tackling the toughest stages in the world,” said Charles Gacheru, WRC Safari Rally CEO.

The entry list for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship is out, with 47 entries confirmed for WRC Safari Rally.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans heads the list for Toyota GAZOO Racing, holding a 28-point advantage coming into the rally. Joining him is two-time Safari winner Kalle Rovanperä, alongside Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari.

Hyundai Motorsport is determined to break Toyota’s unbeaten run on the Safari since its WRC return in 2020, with Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak, and Adrien Fourmaux spearheading the team’s i20 N Rally1 attack.

M-Sport Ford fields a trio of Puma Rally1 cars, with Grégoire Munster, Josh McErlean, and gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis taking the wheel.

In WRC2, reigning champion Oliver Solberg headlines the category in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, while Kajetan Kajetanowicz debuts a similar car. Other notable entries include Jan Solans, Gus Greensmith, and FIA Junior WRC regular Diego Domínguez, who all begin their WRC2 campaigns here. Paraguay’s Fau Zaldivar is another name to watch.

Flying the Kenyan flag will be Karan Patel, Carl Tundo, Hamza Anwar and Jeremiah Wahome.

Safaricom has been supporting sports as one of the main passion points for the communities underscoring our dedication to the development of sports in Kenya.

Car & General, the distributor of TVS motorcycles in Kenya, held a customer fun day in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, bringing together riders of TVS two-wheeler brand and their families at Hotel Horizon.

The event, officiated by George Rubiri, the General Manager of Car & General Trading Limited, provided a fun-filled experience for the entire family. This reflected the fact that TVS motorcycles touch millions of people’s lives across the country.

Speaking at the event, George Rubiri said, “TVS is here to celebrate the contribution of riders to the economy, whether it’s for business or personal use. Car & General has impacted millions of Kenyans immensely through our elaborate ecosystem that includes riders, motorcycle dealers, mechanics, spare parts dealers, among others. We have continuously provided powerful, reliable and durable mobility solutions.”

Riders and their families engaged in an exciting mix of activities that included tugs of war, blindfold walks, bouncing castles, face painting and spot prizes. Gift hampers were given to each family and kids as a token of appreciation.

On his part, Raphael Atanda, Head of Communications at Car & General said, “This occasion has offered a good opportunity for the TVS brand to interact with the community. At Car & General, our mantra is to make customers smile on every street, in every town.”

Two-wheelers are used for last mile distribution, ensuring affordable and quick delivery of people and goods thus making logistics more efficient. Car & General is a leading distributor of bikes and was the pioneer of their use as taxis in Kenya over two decades ago.

In a heartwarming effort to engage, support and connect with the elderly, Mvita Member of parliament Mohammed Machele on Sunday evening organised a grand iftar for the elderly from his constituency.

The colorful event held at the Anwaj hall in Tudor began with a Quran recitation from the Mp's eldest son Saheel Mohammed Soud

In his address, Machele lauded the over 500 elders who attended the event for their support assuring them of delivering his promises.

"I would like to thank you all for the support that you have always accorded me. All I ask from you as my elders is your prayers, I carry a very heavy burden on my back, that of serving you and all other residents of Mvita, it is through your prayers that I will be able to achieve and serve you better," said Machele.

Adding "Let's continue standing together and God willing we will deliver the promise and make Mvita better.

On his part Mombasa County Commissioner Mahmoud Noor who was also present at the event noted that security has been beefed up in the county during this holy month of Ramadhan to allow muslim faithfuls to attend night prayers.

"We understand that Muslims need to go for night prayers during this holy month, some business also open during the night and that is why we have beefed up security in all our streets across the county, police are now conducting more patrols, and we have even added the number of police in the streets." said Noor.

Adding "We recently experienced an incident at the Makadara grounds where some youths decided to interrupt the peace, but the incident was quickly resolved, and I can confirm to you that it is safe to visit Makadara grounds".

The Media for Environment, Science, Health, and Agriculture (MESHA) has launched the official IFAJ 2025 Congress website at https://ifaj2025.meshascience.org/.

The site serves as the central hub for event details, registration, program updates, and insights into Kenya’s vibrant agricultural sector.

The IFAJ 2025 Congress will take place from October 14 to 19, 2025, at the Boma Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The newly launched website offers a seamless experience for delegates, providing access to the full congress program, comprehensive information on field tours, pre and post congres tours together with cultural experiences, registration information as well as resources for delegates and media partners.

The IFAJ 2025 Congress marks a historic milestone as the first-ever edition in East, Central, West and North Africa.

Only South Africa has hosted it twice in the past. “This prestigious global gathering will bring together top agricultural journalists and communicators to explore agricultural journalism's latest trends, innovations, and challenges in Kenya,” says Bozo Jenje, MESHA Chairman.

He added that since 1958, the IFAJ Congress has provided a platform for industry professionals to network and exchange knowledge.

“Following successful African editions in South Africa (2004, 2017), we at MESHA are proud to announce that the Congress returns to the continent for the third time, this time spotlighting Kenya’s thriving agriculture, sustainability efforts, and cultural richness,” said Aghan Daniel, Secretary MESHA who also doubles as the Congress Director.

MESHA, Africa’s leading science journalism network with over 120 members, 50 of whom specialise in agriculture reporting, is spearheading this historic event. With two decades of experience promoting science and agricultural reporting across Africa, MESHA is well-positioned to host this global gathering to showcase Kenya’s agricultural innovations. Delegates will explore Kenya’s dynamic agricultural sector through immersive field tours.

These include visiting the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Coffee Research Institute in Ruiru, Kiambu County, witnessing advancements in dairy technology and value chain development in Nai’posha Dairy Farm, and experience the innovative world of black soldier fly (BSF) production and observe how BSF larvae is transforming the production of animal feed by providing a sustainable and affordable protein-rich alternative to traditional feeds in Harcourt Farm Limited among many other tours lined up.

The delegates will also be spolt for choice as they savour the great menu of fun tours and post congress tours to national parks and other touristic attractions within the city and within a radius of just 150km from the Green Ciy in The Sun, as Nairobi is famously referred in touristic cycles.

The M-PESA Jr. NBA tournament makes its next stop in Rift Valley, with Uasin Gishu High School set to host the highly anticipated regional finals this weekend.

A total of 40 teams, featuring 480 boys and girls, are expected to hit the court, battling for the championship in a series of 5-on-5 games.

Ahead of the weekend games, Safaricom CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa said, “This weekend, we expect to empower over 400 young people from Rift Valley region by equipping them with essential financial literacy skills. So far, our visits to the last two regions, Nairobi and the Coast, have been a great success."

Adding "I believe programs like these are crucial for young people from an early age. This initiative is about building champions both on and off the court, nurturing sporting talent while preparing the next generation for financial independence.”

The Rift Valley Regional Games come a week after the Coast Regional Finals, where Aga Khan Academy and Umoja Junior School from Changamwe clinched top honours.

In the Nairobi regionals, played two weeks ago, St. John’s Junior School from Korogocho and Olympic Junior School were victorious.

The winners in both the boys’ and girls’ categories will be awarded smartphones and airtime courtesy of Safaricom’s M-PESA. Outstanding players will be scouted to attend the Top 100 elite basketball development camp in April.

The M-PESA Jr. NBA program is designed to provide basketball development and financial literacy training to more than 10,000 boys and girls across Kenya. The tournament heads to Eldoret this weekend. Kisumu will follow next weekend.

The regional tournaments will culminate in a national tournament, which will be held in collaboration with the National Secondary School games.

As the world-renowned Lewa Safari Marathon marks its 25th anniversary, it continues to be a driving force for conservation and community development across Kenya and beyond.

Since its inception, Safaricom has been the event’s main sponsor, while Huawei has provided steadfast support for over a decade. Together, their contributions have played a crucial role in creating lasting impact, strengthening wildlife conservation efforts, uplifting local communities, and connecting people to nature.

Organised by international conservation organisation Tusk and Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, with lead sponsors Safaricom and Huawei, the annual event has raised over KSh 1.3 billion - US $9 million - since the first race in 2000.

The marathon has become a beacon for wildlife conservation, community development, healthcare, and education across Kenya. The unwavering support of Safaricom and Huawei has inspired new partnerships this year, strengthening the event’s impact.

Their long-term commitment has encouraged companies including Access Bank, ICEA Lion, Highlands, AMREF, Elewana, Safarilink, Garda World, Tropical Heat, and African Originals to join the cause.

Together, these sponsors provide the financial backbone necessary to sustain and expand vital conservation and community initiatives.

Dr. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, said: “For 25 years, we have supported the Lewa Marathon, a cause that goes beyond conserving Lewa Conservancy to uplifting the surrounding communities, aligning perfectly with our purpose of transforming lives. As both the marathon and Safaricom mark 25 years in 2025, we are proud to commit KES 10 million to this year’s edition. Additionally, we will host the Safaricom Karura Mini Run in May, a fundraising initiative we introduced last year with our partners to further support the Lewa Marathon."

Gao Fei, CEO of Huawei Kenya, said: “Huawei is delighted to have supported the Lewa Safari Marathon for the past 17 years. The conservancy is home to some of the rarest wildlife and we know through our support and that of Safaricom, a difference has been made in preserving these iconic species for future generations as well as the surrounding communities”

The funds have been instrumental in protecting the critically endangered mountain bongo, a rare species found exclusively in the mountains of central Kenya.

They have also supported conservation efforts for Kenya’s Grevy’s zebra and black rhino—both critically endangered—as well as some of East Africa’s last remaining ‘super-tusker’ elephants.

Nick Bubb, Chief Executive of Tusk, said: “The Lewa Safari Marathon is more than just a race - it’s a marathon with purpose; a movement that has, for 25 years, united runners from around the world in support of Kenya’s extraordinary wildlife and communities."

Adding "Through the event, we have raised vital funds that drive conservation efforts, protect threatened species, and uplift local livelihoods. Celebrating this quarter century milestone reminds of the power of collective action and the impact we can achieve together for the future of Africa’s natural heritage.”

Equally vital is the marathon’s support for local communities living alongside wildlife. Race funding has financed six hospitals and clinics, providing essential healthcare to approximately 40,000 people in rural Kenyan communities each year.

It has also supported education through bursaries and infrastructure for over 10,000 students and empowered 724 women artisans through beadwork and beekeeping initiatives, fostering economic independence and sustainable livelihoods.

Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, said: “The Lewa Safari Marathon embodies the deep connection between conservation and community. At Lewa, we envision a future where all Kenyans value, protect, and benefit from wildlife, and this event continues to be a powerful force in making that vision a reality. As one of Kenya’s pioneering conservancies, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve, Lewa has seen remarkable growth in wildlife populations and biodiversity."

Adding "Equally, our community programs have expanded to support thousands, reinforcing the essential role of conservation in securing sustainable livelihoods. None of this progress would be possible without the unwavering support of our runners, sponsors, conservation partners and the neighbouring communities we work with. As we mark this milestone, we celebrate the extraordinary impact we have made together and look ahead to an even brighter, more sustainable future for both people and wildlife."

The success of the Lewa Safari Marathon is a testament to the power of corporate leadership in driving meaningful change, creating lasting impact, and connecting employees, customers, and stakeholders to a greater cause.

As the event marks its 25th anniversary on Saturday 28 June 2025, it will once again unite runners, conservationists, local communities, and businesses in a shared mission to protect wildlife and uplift communities. By connecting people with nature through the power of running, this milestone race aims to raise a record-breaking amount for conservation and community projects in a single year.

Since 2000, more than 25,000 runners from over 40 countries have participated, earning it recognition from Runner’s World as one of the world’s top ten amateur races.

The event offers a 42km full marathon, a 21km half-marathon, a 10km executive race and a 5km distance for younger runners. Participants pound a high-altitude course along the savannah trails of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, home to some of the highest densities of wildlife in Kenya including the iconic ‘Big Five’ - buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, and rhinoceros.