NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 10 – Fourteen-year-old Stephen Gachanja has successfully completed a 50-hour tree-hugging endurance challenge in Nairobi, an extraordinary effort aimed at raising funds for his brother’s life-changing ear surgery.
The challenge, which took place at Jevanjee Gardens and concluded on Friday at 9:00 p.m., was designed to mobilise public support toward raising Sh3.5 million required for the medical procedure.
According to Nairobi Chief Officer on Communication and Citizen engagement Geoffrey Mosiria, who has been closely involved in supporting the initiative, the teenager undertook the demanding feat both as a fundraising drive and as a message to Kenyans on environmental conservation.
“He is raising funds to support his brother’s ear surgery, which costs Sh3.5 million. This challenge is also a call to the people of Kenya to plant more trees and nurture them, so as to keep our environment clean and sustainable,” Mosiria said.
Mosiria praised Stephen’s resilience and discipline, saying the young boy had demonstrated that age should not be a barrier to meaningful action.
“Stephen, at only 14 years of age, has sent out a strong signal that what adults can do, children can do even better,” he added.
The initiative drew inspiration from environmental advocate Truphena Muthoni’s widely publicised 72-hour tree-hugging challenge, which recently captured national attention and sparked conversations on environmental protection and citizen action.
“What he is doing is in support of and inspired by Truphena Muthoni’s historic 72-hour tree-hugging challenge, showing that the spirit of caring for our environment continues across generations,” Mosiria explained.
He also used the occasion to urge Kenyans to support young people, noting that many youths often feel marginalised and unheard in public spaces.
“This is the time to come out in large numbers and support young people who often feel unheard and overlooked. I call upon Kenyans to turn up in large numbers, just as they did during the previous two challenges, and support this young man,” he said.
While celebrating the success of Stephen’s effort, Mosiria cautioned against repetitive activism, suggesting that Kenyans should now seek innovative ways to sustain public engagement and social impact.
“I now call upon Kenyans to be creative and come up with new challenges, and let this be the last tree-hugging challenge, so that we do not water down what Truphena Muthoni did. Let us build on that legacy through innovation and impactful action,” he said.
