Ruto Hands Truphena Ambassadorial Role After 72-Hour Tree Hugging Feat

President William Ruto has named Truphena Muthoni as an ambassador of his 15 billion tree planting campaign, among a string of rewards and national honours for the environmental activist.

Truphena, on Thursday, December 11, set a new tree-hugging record of 72 hours in Nyeri, without eating, sitting or going to the bathroom, to raise awareness on environmental issues.

The feat is, however, yet to be ratified by the Guinness World Records, meaning Truphena, for now, is yet to officially beat her 48-hour record set in May.

Fresh from her achievement, Truphena got the rare privilege to meet the President at State House on Monday, December 15, where she received recognition from the Head of State.

To recognise her feat, President Ruto announced Truphena would be appointed as an Ambassador of the 15 billion tree-planting campaign.

The tree-planting campaign was a flagship government initiative aimed at restoring forest cover and securing Kenya's environmental future.

A day earlier, Truphena did a TV interview where she revealed that she initially intended to conduct her tree-hugging marathon in Brazil but she was unable to due to lack of support from stakeholders, including the Ministry.

To further show support towards Truphena's cause, Ruto also announced the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry would facilitate her long-held dream of visiting Brazil to expose her to global conservation initiatives and strengthen her role as an environmental powerhouse.