A new chapter has emerged in Kenya’s growing wave of endurance-based environmental activism after a 14-year-old boy launched a 50-hour tree-hugging challenge in Nairobi’s central business district in a bid to raise medical funds for his ailing brother. Stephen Gachanja, a minor from Kenya, began the challenge at Jevanjee Gardens, drawing attention from passersby and
Pastor James Irungu, who was racing against time to hug a tree for 80 hours, collapsed during the challenge. Irungu collapsed early on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at around 3:51 a.m. He was scheduled to finish the challenge at 5:27 a.m. The pastor was on a quest to break the 72-hour tree-hugging record set by