The Charge
The Rhino Charge is an annual off-road 4×4 competition held in Kenya in which entrants are required to visit 13 check points (controls) scattered over approximately 100 km² of rough terrain within a 10 hour period. Entrants are supplied with a 1:50,000 scale map of the venue, co-ordinates of the 13 check points and their start position the night before the event. Each competitor must plot the check points on the map and decide his/her route. The winner is the competitor who visits the most check point in the shortest distance (GPS measured).
The event is organised in order to raise funds which are donated to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, an NGO which works towards a noble cause: the conservation and protections of Kenya’s mountain range ecosystems, the so-called “Water Towers”. The donations aim to support Rhino Ark activities towards preventing human-wildlife conflicts and promoting environmental preservation in Kenya’s vital mountain forest ecosystems, in particular Mt. Kenya, Aberdare Range, Mt. Eburu, South-Western Mau and Kakamega. More specifically, these activities include the construction of new game-proof electric fences in Mt. Kenya, Kakamega and South-Western Mau, as well as the maintenance of the existing fences in Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, Mt. Eburu and Kakamega. These fences protect over 85,000 forest-adjacent households from the threat of human-wildlife conflict and assist the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forest Service in protecting over 570,000 hectares of prime forests and vital catchment areas. This contributes to increasing the resilience of these forests and mitigating the impacts of climate change on these forests and their vital roles as key water sources for the nation.
Each entrant must pledge and raise a minimum sponsorship of between 750.000 KES and 1.5 Million KES. Most entrants however raise considerably more. The event was conceived in 1989 to raise funds for the construction of the Aberdare Electric Fence. Rhino Ark founder Ken Kuhle, Rally Enthusiasts Rob Combes and Brian Haworth mooted the idea of an off-road 4×4 event to support the fencing project carried out by the recently established Charitable Trust Rhino Ark.
The Trust was committed to saving the dwindling Rhino population in the Aberdare National Park, as well as mitigating human-wildlife conflicts around the National Park. On 4 February 1989, 31 competing vehicles entered the first event which was won by Travers Allison in a Suzuki jeep. Whilst the first Rhino Charge raised only KES 250,000, this amount increased tremendously over the years.
The Cause
The event was conceived in 1989 to raise funds for the construction of the Aberdare Electric Fence. Rhino Ark founder Ken Kuhle, Rally Enthusiasts Rob Combes and Brian Haworth mooted the idea of an off-road 4×4 event to support the fencing project carried out by the then recently established Charitable Trust, Rhino Ark. The Trust was committed to saving the dwindling Rhino population in the Aberdare National Park, as well as mitigating human-wildlife conflicts around the National Park. On 4 February 1989, 31 competing vehicles entered the first event which was won by Travers Allison in a Suzuki jeep. Whilst the first Rhino Charge raised only KES 250,000, this amount increased tremendously over the years to reach KES 325 million in the 2024 event.
Till today, the Rhino Charge continues to raise funds for the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust. The Rhino Ark projects, which are supported by the funds raised from the Rhino Charge, are multifaceted and are embedded in the overall philosophy HUMANS IN HARMONY WITH HABITAT AND WILDLIFE.