Kenya’s 22-year-old environmental activist hugs tree for 72 hours, sparking national conservation debate

When 22-year-old Truphena Muthoni wrapped her arms around a royal palm tree in Nyeri, Kenya, and refused to let go for three days, she transformed a simple gesture into a powerful symbol of environmental resistance. Her 72-hour tree embrace, currently under review by Guinness World Records, began as what she called a “silent protest” against Kenya’s declining forest cover and unplanned development threatening crucial water catchment areas.

Muthoni’s vigil drew unexpected support from across Kenyan society. What started as a solitary act of defiance grew into a rallying point, attracting police officers, county officials, and local residents who stood in the rain to cheer her on. The soft-spoken activist also emphasized the therapeutic benefits of tree hugging, linking environmental protection to mental health awareness in a message that resonated far beyond typical policy debates.

Her actions echo a rich tradition of tree-hugging protests that spans centuries and continents. The practice traces back to 1730, when over 300 Bishnoi villagers in Rajasthan died protecting khejri trees from the maharaja’s soldiers. This sacrifice later inspired the famous Chipko movement of the 1970s, where women in Uttarakhand literally stood between loggers and oak trees to defend their forests, followed by similar movements like Appiko.

Muthoni’s three-day embrace demonstrates how individual acts of environmental defiance can cut through bureaucratic inaction and reignite public conversation about conservation. Her protest highlights Kenya’s urgent need to address deforestation while proving that sometimes the most powerful environmental statements require nothing more than human connection to nature.