By hugging a tree for 72 hours, Muthoni has challenged Africa

Environmental activist Truphena Muthoni hugs an indigenous tree in Nyeri. [Courtesy]

On a cold night in Nyeri County, long after most homes had fallen asleep, a young woman stayed vigil beside a tree. Her arms remained steady. Rain came and went. Night turned into day and then into another. Crowds gathered in awe.

Somewhere between exhaustion and faith, twenty-two-year-old Truphena Muthoni transformed a simple gesture into a nationwide awakening. On December 11, she completed a seventy-two-hour tree-hugging challenge at the Nyeri Governor’s office compound. As we wait for Guinness World Records confirmation, one fact is already clear. She has made a mark in the hearts of millions who saw her dedication as a reflection of our nation’s conscience. 

I personally felt connected to that mirror. My love for trees started when I was a toddler, nurtured by my father, Bishop David Kalua, who passed away exactly five years ago on the same day that Truphena finished her challenge.

That bond with trees inspired the Plant Your Age Initiative, a simple idea for each person to plant and nurture trees equal to their age, treating those trees as living responsibilities rather than just ceremonial props. 

Over the years, Kenyans have passionately supported this movement, helping to ensure the survival of over 980 million trees, according to our restoration trackers. The key focus is survival. Communities have done the toughest work of protecting seedlings through droughts and neglect.

That is why Truphena’s actions caught my attention. She didn’t perform for applause; she demanded seriousness. Her journey to that tree symbolises the struggle many young Africans face. Governments praise youth at conferences but frustrate them when they try to take bold action. She described her effort as a peaceful protest against environmental damage and as a cry from a generation increasingly overwhelmed by climate anxiety. Science supports her concern. Africa loses an estimated four million hectares of forest each year, according to the FAO.

Kenya loses about four thousand hectares annually despite restoration efforts as reported by the Kenya Forest Service. These are not mere statistics; they are wounds. Already, young people across Africa are citing Truphena’s determination as proof that one act can spark a movement. In our noisy digital world, where corruption spreads faster than conservation, Truphena chose an image too pure to ignore. A young Kenyan, barehanded and unwavering, hugging a tree for three days. It prompted the country to pause and ask essential questions. Why are rivers shrinking faster than rainfall patterns can explain? Why are landscapes thinning? Why are floods becoming more frequent, as the IPCC has warned? Why do we plant millions of seedlings yet lose so many before their first birthday?

This is the truth Kenya must confront. Planting trees is not the same as protecting forests. We can plant ten million seedlings and still fail if survival rates do not improve, if riparian land continues to be invaded, and if illegal logging quietly resumes. Forests cannot be restored with mere announcements. They are restored through discipline. 

This week, I share another image: Liberia. Nearly 69 per cent of the land is covered in forests, yet more than 80 per cent of the population here depends on charcoal and firewood. Forest cover without livelihood solutions is fragile. President Joseph N Baraka Boakai’s acceptance of the role of Plant Your Age Ambassador signals a shift Africa desperately needs, from sentiment to practical action that restores ecosystems while supporting lives. 

Kenya can choose this path now. Counties must fund aftercare, not just seedlings. Schools must ground citizenship in environmental responsibility. Corporations must replace public relations with measurable restoration. And citizens must demand proof of who protects and who destroys. 

Truphena expressed something deep without speaking. A tree tests your character. You can’t fake its survival. In Nyeri, a young woman showed up for seventy-two hours and asked Kenya and Africa to show up for decades. Let her hug become our habit. Think green, act green!

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