From Nakifuma’s Dusty Roads to Africa’s Motorsport Voice
By Mwambazi Lawrence
Today, we tell the story of a man born with rally dust in his veins Robert Nkolo, a.k.a. Rob Styles, a.k.a. “The Guy Who Can Shout on a Microphone Without Losing His Voice
It was the 11th day of August, 1986, in Nakifuma. A young mother gave birth to her eighth child. The other seven children were normal they liked playing with dolls, chasing chickens, and going to school. But this one? No. From the moment he cried, his father said, “Eh… this one sounds like a Subaru with a bad exhaust.”
From the start, Rob was different. Other children played with toy cars and left them neatly in a box. Rob, on the other hand, arranged his toy cars into a rally stage and gave live commentary for himself. By age 7, he was already a rally veteran… at least from the roadside. His most sacred childhood memory? The night stage rally from Mayangayanga to the Flying Finish in Nakifuma. The cars were roaring, the headlights slicing through the darkness, and there was Rob, barefoot, holding his breath like he was watching the WRC final. That night, rally dust entered his lungs and never left.
Fast forward to 2016, Hoima Kabalega Rally. While others were focused on watching cars, Rob had a thought: “What if I record this… and talk over it like I’m on CNN?” And so, armed with a phone and his signature humor, he started making short rally videos with commentary for WhatsApp groups.
But Rob’s commentary wasn’t your usual boring stuff:
“Car number 23 just passed… that’s Peter Kalule. His wife told him not to come today, but here he is the marriage is officially in trouble.”
People loved it. Soon, Rob was sharing in Facebook groups like ProDrive Rally Addicts and Uganda Rally News, where Mwambazi Lawrence spotted him and said, “You, my friend, you are admin material.” That one decision was like giving a turbocharger to Rob’s career.
By 2020, with his friends Ramadan Yasir, Candy Valle and Rob officially launched Hapasport. Now it wasn’t just phone videos it was a full brand. Live streams on Facebook, YouTube, Rallyganda App… the works. Rob was no longer “that guy with rally videos.” He was THE guy.
When people saw the Hapasport logo at a rally, they knew two things:
- There would be live coverage.
- Rob would definitely make someone laugh before the finish line.
In 2021, Rob’s talents went global. Rallye Bandama in Côte d’Ivoire called his name. Thanks to Tino Maxime Abondio, Frederic Nobou, and Hugo Miguel Boges, Rob landed there ready to work… and eat things whose names he couldn’t pronounce. But of course, being Rob, he didn’t just go to cover the rally he came back with stories:
- About rally cars
- About dust so fine it could be used in facial scrubs
- And about mysterious local food he “ate by faith”
Here’s a plot twist: Rob actually planned to start driving competitively, maybe in Kenya. But then he realized something important if he’s in the rally car, who’s going to be outside making the rest of us feel like we’re there too? So he parked that dream… for now.
Now at 39, Rob is still the man with the mic. He’s the reason rally fans can stay home in their slippers yet feel like they’ve been chased by rally cars all day. He’s also the guy who can make a rally update sound like a romantic novel:
“And there goes the Evo… the sun glinting off its bonnet like a diamond, as the driver whispers to the gearbox, ‘Don’t betray me now.’”
And now, in 2025, we celebrate this man at 39 years old. The voice of African rally coverage. The pride of Nakifuma. The man whose live streams have saved many rally fans from standing in cow dung by the roadside.
So Rob, we salute you. May your microphones never fail, your Wi-Fi never buffer, and your rally dust never settle. And may you one day get to drive in a rally just so we can record you being roasted by another commentator.
Happy Birthday, Rob Styles. Long may you reign.
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