Uganda’s Nasser and Katumba Seal Historic 2025 ARC Victory by One Point
By Mwambazi Lawrence
Morogoro, Tanzania—where the sun shines like it’s been paid to overwork and goats still think rally cars are fellow herdsmen was the scene of pure rally drama on Sunday. Uganda’s very own Yasin Nasser and his trusted co-driver Ali Katumba pulled off the impossible, clinching the 2025 African Rally Championship (ARC) by the skin of their tyres… literally one point!
Coming into Tanzania, Nasser carried an eight-point lead over Kenya’s hotshot Samman Vohra. The math was simple: keep the car clean, keep Vohra hungry. But you know rally math doesn’t always add up when gravel is flying.
History on four wheels, Yasin Nasser Pushes his ford fiesta R5 to victory ( Photo By Johnson Were)
Saturday looked like a Kenyan street party. Vohra was untouchable, blasting through the stages like a man chasing dowry cows. By evening, he was rally leader, fans chanting “Sawa sawa Vohra!” Meanwhile, Nasser looked unbothered, chilling in fourth place. Ask him why, he’ll tell you: “Boda boda rules don’t fight every gap, just survive traffic.”
But Sunday, ah, Sunday! For Vohra, the job was simple: win everything, collect maximum points, dance sherehe with the title. For Nasser, the math was brutal: just stop Vohra from sweeping it all. Simple on paper, terrifying on gravel.
Karan Patel negotiates a corner in one of the stages (Photo by Johnson Were)
Enter Kenya’s Karan Patel two-time African champion, part-time headache for Vohra. Patel woke up like he’d had avgas for brakfast and decided to “show these boys how it’s done.” With blistering pace, he stole the rally lead and snatched the power stage, blocking Vohra from a clean sweep. The entire equation flipped and when the dust settled literally and emotionally Patel stood tall as rally winner, Vohra limped into second muttering “aii, si haba,” and Tanzania’s own Ahmed Huwel delighted the home fans by grabbing third. Nasser? He rolled in calmly in fourth, collected two cheeky power stage points, and laughed all the way to the championship crown. Final tally: Nasser 135, Vohra 134. One point! That’s not a margin it’s a mosquito bite. ARC title sealed, Uganda dancing, Kenya wondering, Tanzania clapping.
ARC RESULTS
- 1.Karan Patel / Tauseef Khan – Skoda Fabia = 1:45:05
- 2.Samman Vohra/ Drew Sturrock- Skoda Fabia Evo=1:45:20
- 3.Ahmed Huwel/ Vili Oslaj – Toyota GR Yaris=1:49:51
- 4.Yasin Nasser/ Ali Katumba – Ford Fiesta R5=1:53:30
- 5.Mohamed Roshanali/ Christophe Bigirimana – Subaru GVB=2:02:02
- 6.Prince Charles Nyerere/ Charles Nyerere- EvoX= 2:06:17
- 7.Naveen Puligilla/Musa Sharif – Ford fiesta R3=2:41:41
Meanwhile in ARC2, Burundi’s Roshanali Mohamed and Christophe Bigirimana lit up the stages in their Subaru Impreza GVB, beating Tanzania’s Prince Charles Nyerere and his brother Charles in their Evo X. Two brothers, one car… surely the debrief dinner must have been louder than the turbo.
Prince Charles Nyerere could only settle for 2nd in the ARC Class (Photo by Johnson Were)
On the Tanzanian National Rally Championship side, it was all about Huwel and Vili Oslaj in the Toyota GR Yaris dominating like stage roads were built in their backyard. Second place went to Samir Nahdi in a Ford Fiesta Proto, and third to Waleed Nahdi in a Subaru. Prince Charles took fourth, while Shehzad Munge closed out the top five.
Local hero Ahmed Huwel powering his Toyota GR Yaris to settle for 3rd ovaral and 1st NRC class (Photo By Johnson Were)
NRC RESULTS
- 1.Ahmed Huwel/ Vili Oslaj – Toyota GR Yaris =1:49:51
- 2.Samir Nahdi/ Misam Fazal- Ford fiesta Proto=1:57:50
- 3.Waleed Nahdi/Ally Hamoud-Subaru Impreza =2:2:56
- 4.Prince Charles Nyerere/Charles Nyerere- EvoX =2:06:17
- 5.Shehzad Munge/ Aaron John- EvoX =2:06:19
- 6.Randeep Singh/ Manmeet Birdi- Evo9=2:11:21
- 7.Kelvin Taylor/ Ethan Taylor – Subaru Impreza =2:12:46
- 8.Kartic Valambia/ Monica Lyima- Evo7= 2:15:15
- 9.Arshi Somji/ Imranali Chandu-Subaru Impreza =2:31:52
- 10.Charles Bico/ David Matete- Subaru Impreza =2:41:08
And so, in Morogoro, under skies that bore witness to dust, drama and destiny, Uganda’s Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba stand taller than ever before. They did not win the rally, but they have won Africa. They did not conquer every stage, but they conquered the season. By a single point, by the narrowest of margins, they have climbed a mountain that will forever bear their names. This is not just victory it is survival, it is belief, it is history. Uganda, Africa, behold your champions.
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