When Karan Patel Became Landlord and Samman Paid Rent in Skoda Installments
By Mwambazi Lawrence
You ever host visitors, feed them, offer them your best chair, and then they rob you blind? Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Uganda’s Shell Vpower Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally where Karan Patel and co-driver Tauseef Khan from Kenya turned hospitality into highway robbery. These guys didn’t just come to compete they came to conquer, cruise, and cart off our trophies like they were shopping in a duty-free.
“No traction? No problem. Karan Patel ploughs through the mud like a pro! (Photo credit Innocent Mutaawe)
And we, in true Ugandan fashion, tried to fight back… by summoning a “Mucuba” yes, Samman Vohra—who didn’t even know he had been drafted into national service! He was out there minding his business and boom, he became our Jas Mangat replacement. No briefing, no uniform just vibes and horsepower.
And oh, Samman did the thing! Led from Friday like Moses parting the Red Sea until his Skoda Fabia decided it wanted to try acrobatic kissing with the rally route. The car nosedived harder than my uncle’s marriage after he said, “It’s just a friend, honey.” Enter Karan Patel, patiently watching like a lion waiting for the antelope with a limp. Once Vohra bowed out, Patel pounced and turned the event into a Kenyan parade. By the time we realized what was happening, he was already waving to imaginary fans at the finish.
Full throttle and fearless Samman Vohra storms through the Kaguta Stage (Photo by Innocent Mutaawe)
Uganda’s other knight in (slightly dusty) shining armor, Yasin Nasser, flanked by the ever-loyal Ali Katumba, rolled in with their Ford Fiesta like they were summoned by Thor himself ready to rain fire, thunder, and possibly a few shock absorbers on the competition. And oh yes, they did bring fire… but not the kind we hoped for. By the time the last stage showed up, the car basically whispered “bannange, I’m tired” it turned dramatic like an exhausted auntie at a kwanjula. The Fiesta skated down to 4th overall, like a child slowly sliding off a plastic chair during church service but hey, every cloud has a turbocharged silver lining! They still clinched 2nd among the NRC warriors, and guess what? They’re now proudly flexing on top of the ARC leaderboard with 63 points. Talk about stumbling into greatness! Who needs stage wins when you’re accidentally leading the whole continent?
Yasin Nasser Flying the black, yellow, and red with Skoda power in Kaguta stage (Photo by Innocent Mutaawe)
But listen just when it felt like all hope had packed its bags, boarded a bus to Busia, and left us for dead, BOOM! Out of the dust clouds and pure adrenaline came sprinting our national savior with Ugandan pride strapped to his back like a cape in the wind the man, the myth, the corner-drifting tornado himself: Duncan “Kikankane” Mubiru, with his cold blooded codriver Joseph Kamya The boys in the NRC Proto Fiesta drove like they were possessed by the ancestors of Motorsport and saved Uganda’s honor, finishing 2nd overall. We were this close to having to explain to our children that not even one Ugandan made the podium. THANK YOU, DUNCAN!
Uganda’s Duncan Mubiru negotiates a 360 round about during the superspecial stage (Phot by Innocent Mutaawe)
Meanwhile, Musa Ssegaabwe and Mathias Kiyegga, the new NRC rookies (or should we say “rookie terrors”), gave us nearly a flawless show until a sneaky “Y-arm” tried to sabotage them on the last loop. But they muscled through to 5th overall and now sit 2nd on the NRC leaderboard with 132.5 points. Gentlemen, please stay blessed and mechanical parts, please behave.
Peter Kalule and David Mwesigwa, in a Subaru XV, came through not just for competition but for healing, after the loss of Peter’s dear wife. They did her proud with a composed 6th place finish sometimes it’s more than a race, it’s therapy.
Peter Kalule pushing through the Kaguta stage (Cartesy Photo)
Didas Matsiko and Joseph Bongole in 7th, Joshua Muwanguzi 8th, and then came Ronald Sebuguzi with Anthony Mugambwa oh dear. Their diff developed an issue just in Stage 2 of Day 1 and decided to take the weekend off. They fought on like gladiators and finished 9th overall, which still gave Sebuguzi 7th NRC finisher and NRC leaderboard leader status. A miracle in slow motion!
Then the man known as Samuel Bwette a.k.a Kawunyemu and his always-hype codriver Hamza Lwanga joined the chaos. From near-rolls in the Charles Muhangi stage to surviving what can only be described as mechanical horror movies, they still muscled to 10th. Grit, sweat, and divine intervention.
Now, stop everything SUSAN MUWONGE, the IRON LADY, the QUEEN OF ZAMUNDA herself, gave us drama fit for Netflix. On Day 1, her car squared up with an impala like it owed her money. The result? Her car looked like it got in a bar fight with Donkey Kong. But guess what she duct-taped it and soldiered on like the champion she is.
Day 2? Just at the start of Kaguta stage the Car refused to start but in a moment of rare motorsport unity, fellow drivers went out of their way to help her, even sacrificing their own parts to get her back on the road People were offering spark plugs, jumper cables, emotional support… I swear one guy almost offered a kidney.. She finally got going only to face power steering failure. And still, she finished 13th overall and 11th NRC finisher. This woman doesn’t race, she survives the apocalypse with sass. Also she’s told me personally to pass on a massive, heartfelt THANK YOU to all the drivers and crews who helped her. You didn’t just assist a competitor you backed a legend. Give yourselves a standing ovation. Or at least a cold soda.
Wounds patched, power unleashed as Susan Muwonge pushes her Subaru in the Superspecial stage ( Photo By Mutaawe)
We can’t forget Ponsiano Lwakataka and Musazi Paul who were set to raise hell in their Subaru N12. But the engine died as early as Stage 3. They pulled a classic rally miracle and rebuilt it overnight. Then it died again. This time on transport to service. Honestly, at this point, even the car was like “banange, I tried.”
In the 2WD battle, Mansoor Lubega and Bukenya Kesh taught their classmates a serious lesson with their Toyota Corolla, finishing 1st in class and 11th overall. Ibrahim Lubeha and Kanakulya Moustapha, returning to a changed world, were slapped back to reality and finished 2nd. Amir Kavuma and Kenneth Kavuma took 3rd, Subaru style.
Now let’s turn up the heat. The CRC class was LIT! Kevin Bebeto led with swag and power until boom! one cooling fan quit the job like a government contractor. Engine said goodbye, and just like that, the dream was gone Moral of the story? Sometimes, it’s just not your rally.
Enter Walter Kibande and his dreadlocked co-pilot Duncan Katumba, who inherited the lead like long-lost royalty and cruised to victory. Kiggundu Sentongo and Yusuf Babu, who experienced temporary car amnesia in the Kaguta stage, bounced back to finish 2nd in class and sit 2nd in CRC points. Ahmed Kateete and Morgan Serugga danced their way into 3rd despite Day 1 chaos, while Odeon Tumwebaze and Hussein Mukuye rounded off the class in their Toyota Altezza.
Next up: NRC goes to Jinja and Kayunga in May. Will Jas Mangat return from hiding? Will Ponsiano Lwakataka recover from heartbreak? Will Uganda finally block Kenyan entries at the border? Stay tuned.
Until next time drive fast, drift hard, and if your car kisses the ground, at least let it be romantic.
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