The self-proclaimed strongest man in Africa, popularly known as Tiger Power, is dead.
Conrad Njeru Karukenya was a household name in the late 80s and early 90s when he awed many with his public demonstration of strength, including lifting eight heavy men without breaking a sweat.
The 73-year-old man from Embu, who made a name for himself by performing such stunts as breaking six-inch nails using his teeth, died yesterday at Kyeni Mission Hospital in Embu.
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Lifting objects
According to his sister-in-law, Margaret Muthoni, Karukenya had been ailing for a while.
Karukenya claimed he discovered his extraordinary strength by accident while transporting his father’s coffee to the factory.
“I was guiding an ox-cart carrying 2.1 tonnes of coffee downhill when its brakes failed. As I lay on my back fixing the left wheel, the oxen unexpectedly pulled away and the cart ran over my abdomen. Despite the heavy load, it did not hurt,” he said in an earlier interview.
Karukenya also loved lifting objects with his teeth. The highlight of his public performances was having a four-wheel-drive vehicle run over his abdomen without flinching.
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In previous interviews, Karukenya said he kept his strength by keeping off alcohol and cigarettes, which he attributed to low strength and poor health among the youth.
His sister-in-law described him as an inspiration to many and called on well-wishers to help the family foot unpaid hospital bills and burial arrangements.
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