Maxine Wahome: Troubled Rally Driver Who Works As Kindergarten Teacher

The 26-year-old top female rally driver spent two nights behind bars for allegedly assaulting Asad, who was earlier reported to be in hospital under critical condition.

admin admin
Dec 15, 2022 - 16:28 Updated: Sep 2, 2023 - 22:28
0
Maxine Wahome: Troubled Rally Driver Who Works As Kindergarten Teacher
A collage of embattled rally driver, Maxine Wahome. /VIRALTEAKE

World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally driver Maxine Wahome has been in the headlines recently for the wrong reasons when she appeared in court on Wednesday, December 14 for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend, Asad Khan.

The 26-year-old top female rally driver spent two nights behind bars for allegedly assaulting Asad, who was earlier reported to be in hospital under critical condition.

Reports had surfaced later that night revealing that Asad died from his injuries, but his younger brother Adil said that he was alive, though fighting for his life at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) at the Avenue Hospital in Nairobi following the domestic altercation which saw Wahome arrested.

It is however hard for one to imagine how a celebrated rally driver went from becoming the first woman to win the WRC3 rally in Naivasha in June 2022 to be in the middle of woes that turned her into an enemy on social media.

Maxine Wahome inside a rally car. /THE STAR

She was awarded Ksh1 million alongside navigator Murage Waigwa after they clocked 5.20.21 hours. This was one of the accolades she earned across the country for her rally exploits as well as sponsorship deals with different companies.

Wahome's early stint at motorsports started after she got onto a bike for the first time at the age of 10. She started at autocross events before venturing into rallies and was inspired by her father, Jimmy Wahome, a retired rally driver, to join Motorcross.

Since venturing into rallying, she won the inaugural Lioness All-Women’s Rally at Kasarani in March 2022, months before her debut on the international stage whereby she set history on her first appearance.

She also participated in the WRC Safari Rally, Voi, Machakos and Ramisi rallies as well as autocross events in Mombasa and Nairobi. She also competed at the ARC Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.

Wahome, in July 2022 became the newest driver in a joint partnership between a local telco and Kenya Airways under the FIA Rally Star Programme, a global initiative that seeks to identify, train and develop talented drivers aged between 17 and 27.

Away from her rallying exploits, Wahome works as a kindergarten teacher meaning one would probably find her in a school teaching the ABC letters of the alphabet.

“Each rally has made me grow from being last on the start list, to going up slowly. With the moral support and everyone around, the guys who helped me with the car, the mechanics, the coach and the family support is what’s got me to where I am now,” said Wahome in a February interview with Spice FM.

Not much is known about her relationship with Asad but sources intimate that they have been seeing each other for over a year now.

Wahome was arrested whilst police discovered a lot of blood in the house and broken glass. She was later presented at the Milimani Law Courts and released on a Ksh100,000 cash bail.

She was however ordered to appear before the investigating officer at Kilimani Police station every Thursday until the investigations are completed on January 16, 2023.

“Maxine was arrested following a report by Adil at Kilimani that she had inflicted life-threatening injuries on his brother Asad,” Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi said.

The court was also told that the man sustained a deep cut on his ankle that was allegedly inflicted by Wahome, a matter which she denied by stating that she is a victim and claiming that the man hurt himself when he was attacking her.

Ochoi was told police visited the scene “which appeared disturbed with household goods strewn all over the dining room and a pool of blood on the floor and in the staircase.”

Wahome is being investigated over an offence of causing grievous bodily harm which might lead to a lengthy jail term if she is convicted.

Maxine Wahome in court. /K24 DIGITAL

Tags: