“I am an Environmental Endurance Advocate, a World Record Holder, a Climate Justice Musician and a Mental Health Survivor,” says Truphena Muthoni.
“I use my body, voice, and creative expression to tell urgent environmental stories through extreme endurance, music, and silence.”
She made global headlines after hugging a tree for 48 hours non-stop, a feat that earned her a Guinness World Record.
“I did it to spotlight mental health and the healing power of nature,” she says. “It was excruciating, I hallucinated, had severe cramps, and broke down emotionally. But the tree became a symbol of stability when my mind wavered.”
Her journey into environmentalism began at just five years old and she says it was not through textbooks or role models, but instinct.
“I would pick up banana peels and stones from the path not because anyone told me to, but because I felt it was the right thing to do. My path unfolded naturally, guided by love and responsibility.”
She was a talented athlete in her early years; “the fastest in class and a strong footballer,” she says.
But then came a turning point, a personal struggle with panic disorder. It pulled her inward until one unexpected moment thrust her into the spotlight.
“At a school drama event, the lead actor disappeared. My peers insisted I take the stage. I did and won Best Actor. That changed my life.”
From there, art became her refuge and revolution. She began writing poetry, performing in drama and music festivals, even winning international recognition. “Art became my way of processing pain and creating impact. That was my awakening, it was bigger than me.”
The specific moment that solidified her climate advocacy came through music. “When I heard Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song,’ I felt an overwhelming anger. The reality of climate injustice hit me hard.
That song awakened something deep within me and this was my emotional tipping point.” Her activism, however, is not just about emotion it’s rooted in culture and global justice. “Being Kenyan grounds me. I carry the wisdom of my ancestors, the strength of our forests, and the humility of our local struggles into every global room I enter.”
She’s now preparing for her most ambitious challenge yet: a 72-hour tree-hugging endurance act deep in the Amazon rainforest, ahead of COP30 in Brazil. She will hug a 300-year-old Samaúma tree at Quilombo do Abacatal without food or water, in total silence.
“This isn’t a protest, it’s reverence,” she explains.
“The Amazon is the lungs of the Earth and home to Quilombo communities who’ve defended it for centuries. I want to honour them. Forest protection and indigenous knowledge are central to COP30, so I’m learning Brazilian Portuguese to engage meaningfully.”
She will also launch a Climate Justice Anthem co-created with children to amplify young voices during the event.
To other young Africans eyeing global climate spaces, she offers a simple but powerful message. “Don’t wait for permission. Your story, your pain, your vision, they’re valid. The world doesn’t need more perfect climate activists. It needs more real ones.”
Truphena deeply believes that African youth must go beyond attendance and become changemakers at the policy level. “We live through droughts, displacement, and deforestation. Our solutions come from lived experience, not textbooks.”
Through her record-breaking acts, she hopes to spark a deeper commitment across Kenya and the continent.
“I want people to realise that you don’t need millions to make an impact. You need courage, creativity, and community. If one girl hugging a tree in silence can spark global conversation, imagine what a million of us can do?”
