Phineas Kimathi
| Phineas Kimathi | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Kimathi [Kiymae-thiy] |
| Born | 1967 Meru County, Kenya |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Jane Kimathi |
| 👶 Children | McRae Kimathi |
| 🏅 Awards | 2019 Kenya Motor Sports Federation Personality of the year |
Phineas Kimathi (Kenyan pronunciation [Kiymae-thiy], born 1967) is a Kenya motorsport executive and former rally driver, who is currently the Chairman of Kenya Motor Sport Federation (KMSF) and the CEO of WRC Safari Rally Kenya,[1] and is also a member of the International Automobile Foundation World Rally Championship (FIA WRC) commission.[2]
Early years and education[edit]
Born and raised in Meru County, Kimathi attend Nkubu and Ikuu high schools for his O and A level secondary education. Kimathi later went to Kenya Utalii College, where he received a scholarship to study for a Higher Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management at the Greenwich College London in 1986.
Rally career[edit]
Kimathi started his rallying career in 1993 with a Mazda 323 4wd till 1997, where he raced with a Hyundai Coupé from 1998 to 1999.[3] He retired from competitive racing in 2016 where he raced with his Subaru Impreza under the San Valencia team since 2000.[3]
Kimathi succeeded JS Vohra who stepped down after his two-year tenure ended. At a Board of Directors meeting held on June 3, 2016, at the KMSF office, the board unanimously elected Kimathi as the new chairman.
Kimathi was appointed on May 17, 2019, and will serve in FIA’s 17-member World Rally Championship Commission headed by Asia, Caribbean, and Pacific rallying boss, Portugal’s Carlos Barbosa, assisted by Finnish rally driver Timo Rautiainen, and will handle the interests of Africa and the Middle East. His appointment gave Kenya a voice and a seal of approval in the Paris-based organisation as Kenya prepared to host the WRC Safari Rally as it returns to the World Rally Championships.[4]
Kimathi was the first black man to serve in the FIA and was among six representatives who were placed in charge of Africa and the Middle East.
Awards[edit]
Kimathi was crowned the 2019 Kenya Motor Sports Federation Personality of the year.[5]
Most rally enthusiasts and stakeholders felt that it was not in order for an official to be awarded instead of drivers, riders, or navigators for their achievements throughout the motorsport calendar. However, his leadership role and effort in partnership with the Kenyan Government to see the return of WRC Safari Rally Kenya was mentioned as the biggest feat in the motorsport fraternity in 2019 given his also positive dalliance with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) which brought glory back to the country.
“I am humbled by this award. It has certainly come as a pleasant surprise and I wish to dedicate it to my family, the WRC Safari Rally Project, and the KMSF Board for their support to ensure we got the Safari back. I have traveled to more than 30 countries trying to lobby for the event and I am glad that the effort has come to fruition,” said Kimathi as he accepted the award.
Rally Dynasties in Kenya[6]
The Kimathis- Rally Dynasty[edit]
Phineas Kimathi and his son MaRae Kimathi are part of the ten rally dynasties in Kenya. In his early rally yes Phineas Kimathi was a celebrated rally driver. He was the first person to win a Formula 2 WRC event with Hyundai in 1997. His son Mcrae Kimathi named after the late Scottish Legend Colin McRae[7] is also part of the FIA Rally Star Program.[8]
List of other Kenyan Rally Dynasties[edit]
- The Rais -Onkar Rai and Tejveer Rai.
- The Anwars- Azar Anwar, Asad Anwar, Shazar Anwar, and Hamza Anwar.
- The Tundos Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo, Frank Tundo, Natasha Tundo and Lynn Tundo.
- The Roses- Lee Rose and John Rose.
- The Chagers- Baldev Chager,Joginder Singh, Sarbi Rai and Manvir Baryan.
- Nteeres- Washington Nteere and Ken Nteere.
- The Pandyas of Mombasa-Kamlesh Pandya, Paras Pandya and Rajni Pandya
- The Smiths- Don Smith, Rio Smith and Sean Smith
- The Muchemis- Ben Muchemi and Andrew Muchemi.
Business Venture -Hospitality Industry[edit]
Kimathi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of San Valencia Restaurants and Corporate Caterers.
San Valencia[9] was founded in 1992 by Kimathi as a restaurant located at Anniversary Towers ground floor. First, it was operating under the name Silver Spoon, with a target clientele of the Nairobi working class. It was rebranded in 2005 to its current name and has been operating for over 20 years. A garden secret within the city of Nairobi, San Valencia offers an alluring ambiance. San Valencia is a big employer with over 350 personnel, with 13 busy outlets in Kenya, the Anniversary Restaurant, Valencia Garden, and Valencia Inn in Mombasa and Kampala.
Hospitality work experience[edit]
Kimathi worked at Debenham Chain Stores and Trust House Forte in London for one year before returning to Kenya in 1987 to become the assistant manager at the Pan Afric Hotel in Nairobi between 1987 and 1990. He would later resign from Kilaguni tourists resort to go into private business with a handful of faithful workers.
The year 2006 marked a milestone for San Valencia as they catered for 20,000 shareholders who attended the KenGen inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM), the first biggest AGM ever held in Kenya at the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani. In 2008 San Valencia handled the Ministry of Energy and National Conference, the Kenya We Want Conference, Scan Group AGM, and numerous other AGMs.[10]
San Valencia navigated complex catering services like the state funeral of the Late vice president Wamalwa Kijana and Geoffrey Parpai in Kitale and Loitoktok. San Valencia has also served dignitaries like the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
Sponsor[edit]
San Valencia co-sponsor the last four consecutive Tusker Project Fame (TPF) shows the biggest music talent development projects in East Africa. Its CRS programmes include talent development, with the Yoga brothers ball juggling into the Guinness Book of Record being a standout. The company also established the first rally school in Kenya in 2009.
Personal life[edit]
Kimathi is married to Jane Kimathi. They have one child.
References[edit]
- ↑ "CEO". Safari Rally Kenya.
- ↑ "Commission". FIA.
- ↑ "Phineas Kimathi". ewrc-results.com.
- ↑ Makori, Elias. "Why Kimathi's appointment to FIA commission is important". Nation Media Group. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ↑ "Phineas Kimathi savours Kenya Motor Sports Federation top award". Sports Africa. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ↑ "Ten rally dynasties in Kenya". The People Daily. The People Reporter. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ↑ The Real McRae The Autobiography of the People's Champion (illustrated ed.). Ebury. 2001. p. 240 pages. ISBN 9780091880903. Search this book on
- ↑ "The FIA Rally Star Program".
- ↑ "Chief Executive Officer". San Valencia.
- ↑ "San Valencia hotelier who feeds State House". Business Today. BT Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Safari_Rally http://www.safarirally.co.ke/ https://www.ewrc-results.com/profile/1525-kimathi-phineas/ https://www.ewrc-results.com/profile/135793-mcrae-kimathi/ https://www.the-star.co.ke/sports/2019-05-18-kimathi-appointed-in-fia-commission/ https://businesstoday.co.ke/phineas-kimathi-san-valencia-hotelier-feeds-state-house/ https://kawowo.com/2016/06/04/phineas-kimathi-is-the-new-kmsf-chairman/ http://motorsportkenya.com/ https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/talkup/wrc-teams-cars-expected-in-kenya-on-june-16-for-safari-rally-3430692 https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/motorsports/fia-todt-happy-with-kenya-commitment-to-safari-rally-3451942
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