NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 11 – A 43-year-old man in Nanyuki has joined the growing tree-hugging movement, taking the unusual endurance challenge beyond environmental activism to champion peace and national unity ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Paul Kago embarked on a 96-hour tree-hugging marathon using the symbolic act to urge Kenyans to reject political violence and embrace peaceful coexistence.
By Sunday afternoon, Kago had already endured 69 hours without leaving the tree and said he remained determined to complete the challenge.
He said he was on course to finish the full 96 hours on Monday at 1 p.m., a moment he hopes will serve as a renewed call for calm and unity as the country gradually gears up for the next election cycle.
“People usually do this to raise awareness about environmental conservation, which is important. But for me, this is about peace. We don’t want to see our country divided again because of politics,” Kago said.
The tree hugging craze commenced when Truphena Muthoni surpassed 72 hours tree hugging challenge surpassing her Guinness World Records 48 hour feat which was recognized on 12th December 2025.
“The longest marathon hugging a tree is 48 hours and was achieved by Truphena Muthoni (Kenya) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 31 January to 2 February 2025,” read the announcement by the Guinness World Records.
For Muthoni, the 72-hour “silent protest” was meant to specifically hold authorities and a complacent public to account for irresponsible tree cutting, forest land use change and inadequate protection of water catchment areas. She also did this to encourage mental wellness, and remind all that the ecosystem is incomplete without healthy indigenous forests and ever-replenished water catchment areas.
“The reason for hugging trees is that it is therapeutic, and we have a lot of mental health crises across the world that are directly involved with environmental degradation,” she said in a video just before she began the challenge.
It soon drew the attention of the media, with others attempting to join the challenge. Pastor James “Jimmy” Irungu, a Murang’a-based pastor and gospel singer, gained national attention in early January 2026 after launching an ambitious 80-hour tree-hugging challenge to raise awareness about cancer, a cause he said was driven by personal loss and the heavy toll the disease takes on families.
He began the marathon on Sunday, January 4, and persevered for nearly 79 hours and 40 minutes before collapsing in the early hours of Thursday, January 8 just less than an hour and a half short of his goal.
Medics rushed Irungu to Murang’a Level Five Hospital, where he was treated for exhaustion, dehydration and early signs of organ strain, and was reported to be in stable condition under observation.
