Media personality and Geothermal Development Company staffer Pauline Sheghu is back on the gravel, revving up for the 2026 edition of the legendary Safari Rally set for March 12–15 in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
Sheghu and her navigator Linet Ayuko of Kenya Pipeline Company will compete under their new banner, Queen of the Dust, as they seek to leave fresh tyre marks on one of the toughest and most prestigious legs of the World Rally Championship calendar.
The duo was officially flagged off by Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, alongside Principal Secretary Alex Wachira and chief executives from across the energy sector — a symbolic show of force from an industry rallying behind its own.
This will be Sheghu’s fourth stab at the grueling Safari Rally, a milestone that cements her growing stature in a sport historically dominated by men. Behind the wheel of a Subaru GVB, the Queen of the Dust crew heads into this year’s showdown armed with experience, confidence and institutional muscle.
The energy sector has collectively mobilised KSh 8.8 million to power the campaign. Beverage manufacturer Kevian Kenya Limited added KSh 1 million, while Farmers Choice chipped in KSh 100,000, pushing total backing to KSh 9.85 million.
But the engine is still running.
The duo says their sponsorship doors remain open as they expand their focus beyond Naivasha to the African Rally Championship circuit, with planned appearances in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.
For Sheghu, this is more than a race — it’s a statement. In the unforgiving dust and punishing terrain of the Safari Rally, the Queen of the Dust isn’t just competing. She’s carving space, one stage at a time.
