Truphena Muthoni bags Guinness record as 72-hour tree hug awaits review
Truphena Muthoni, a climate and environmental advocate and mental-health survivor, braves a heavy downpour as she hugs a palm tree in Nyeri town during her 72-hour tree-hugging marathon.
Kenyan environmentalist Truphena Muthoni has earned recognition from Guinness World Records after setting the record for the longest marathon hugging a tree, lasting 48 hours.
The recognition comes a day after she completed a separate 72-hour tree-hugging attempt at the Nyeri Governor’s office compound on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 12.25pm. This attempt is still under review by Guinness World Records.
According to the Guinness World Records website, the 48-hour feat was achieved in Nairobi between January 31 and February 2, 2025, surpassing the previous record by nearly 24 hours.
The record initially belonged to Ghana’s Abdul Hakim Awal, who hugged a tree for 24 hours, 21 minutes and four seconds in Kumasi on May 23, 2024.
GWR describes Truphena, a 22-year-old music and culture student, as having undertaken the challenge to raise awareness about the mental and emotional benefits of connecting with nature.
Truphena Muthoni, a climate and environmental advocate and mental-health survivor, braves a heavy downpour as she hugs a palm tree in Nyeri town during her 72-hour tree-hugging marathon.
“She took on this record challenge to raise awareness about the profound impact of tree hugging on mental and emotional well-being. She spent over five months preparing her body for this attempt — including 42km walks and 12-hour test runs hugging a tree — and was able to surpass the previous record by almost 24 hours!” reads the website.
Following the 72-hour feat, Kenyans flooded Guinness World Records’ social media platforms, calling for confirmation of the record.
On X, @Malone1k wrote: “Which kind of evidence do you need? She was live for 72 hours with more than 500,000 viewers.”
Another Kenyan, @Bajaprafa89, said: “She got rained on; ain’t that enough evidence?”
Truphena Muthoni, a climate and environmental advocate and mental-health survivor, braves a heavy downpour as she hugs a palm tree in Nyeri town during her 72-hour tree-hugging marathon.
In response, Guinness World Records acknowledged the public interest, saying it had received numerous comments regarding the attempt.
“We know Truphena’s fans are excited to hear the results, and we look forward to receiving and assessing the evidence. For now, her current record stands at 48 hours, achieved earlier this year in Nairobi,” the organisation said.
In an earlier interview with the Nation, the environmentalist said her activism is driven by a desire to inspire people to reconnect with nature.
“I want to inspire people to fall in love with nature and treat it with care. Conservation begins with love. Nowadays, there are many tree-planting initiatives, but people often replace indigenous forests with saplings, believing that is mitigation, yet it is not. We must first protect what we already have,” she said.
She revealed that the 48-hour attempt had initially not been recognised because of technical hitches, forcing her to restart the submission in September after 16 weeks.
During a TikTok Live interview with MC Chris Kirubi after completing the 72-hour attempt on Thursday evening, she recounted how she narrowly escaped injury following a near-stampede by supporters in the final minutes of the challenge.
“I am usually strong after such feats, but this time I have decided to rest and listen to my body. Today, I was not able to walk well, and at one point there was almost a stampede. I was nearly stepped on before I was rescued and taken to an ambulance,” she said.
Truphena Muthoni, a climate and environmental advocate and mental-health survivor, braves a heavy downpour as she hugs a palm tree in Nyeri town during her 72-hour tree-hugging marathon.
She said that she hopes to continue using her platform to advocate for environmental protection and mental well-being.
Following her GWR recognition, Truphena is expected to address the media today (Saturday) at 2pm in Nyeri.
