Ugandan driver Riyaz Kurji died when his Subaru crashed at high speed into an anthill and then a tree, when he was leading the KCB Pearl of African Uganda Rally overall. The two-day rally was halted and Kurji was posthumously named the winner of the FIA African championship event. Codriver Sayed Kadri was unhurt and raised the alarm. The accident happened just before half way at which point the leader was the Ugandan driver followed by Zambian Muna Singh ahead of Zimbabwean Jamie White and fellow Ugandan Emmanuel Katto, all in Subarus. Kurji had won this event in 2005 and 2006 and was running first car on the road this time. In private life he was an international businessman, head of the Alpha Group of companies and in rallying he ran under a Kenyan licence. This accident carried unpleasant memories, happening on the same day (May 2nd) that Attilio Bettega and then Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresta all died in Corsica during the eighties. Kenyan rallymen were further shocked as Kurji's crash happened a fortnight after the untimely death of their country's champion codriver, Farak Yusuf.

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