The Rhino Charge is an annual off-road 44 competition held in Kenya in which entrants are required to visit 13 points (check points) scattered over approximately 100 km of rough terrain within a 10 hour period. Entrants are supplied with a map of the venue, coordinates of the check points, and their start position the night before the event. Each competitor must plot the check points on the map and decide his/her route. The winner is the team who visits the most check points in the shortest distance (GPS measured).

The event is organised in order to raise funds to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, an NGO which works towards a noble cause: the conservation and protections of Kenyas mountain range ecosystems, the so-called Water Towers.

Each entrant must pledge and raise a minimum sponsorship fee between 750.000 KES and 1.5 Million KES. Most entrants however raise considerably more. The event was conceived in 1989 to raise funds for the construction of the Aberdare Electric Fence. Rhino Ark founder Ken Kuhle, Rally Enthusiasts Rob Combes and Brian Haworth mooted the idea of an off-road 44 event to support the fencing project carried out by the Charitable Trust Rhino Ark. Over the years, Rhino Arks work has evolved and expanded to include support for various community-based conservation initiatives such as the Bongo Surveillance Programme designed to offer long-term solutions to the conservation of mountain forest ecosystems.

Landmark Dates

1989 - Aberdare Electric Fence construction started

28 August 2009 - Aberdare Electric Fence construction completed

12 March 2010 - Aberdare Electric Fence formally commissioned by H.E. Mwai Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya

11 May 2012 - Aberdare Trust launched by the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya.

July 2012 - Mt. Kenya Electric Fence construction started

6 September 2012 - Launch of the Mt. Kenya Electric Fence by Hon. Njeru Githae, Minister for Finance

March 2013 Eburu Electric Fence construction started

26 November 2014 Eburu Electric Fence (43.3 km long) construction completed