A crowd gathered at Sossiot Police Station in Belgut Sub-County, Kericho County, after the station’s Officer Commanding Station reportedly joined the ongoing tree-hugging trend that has swept across Kenya.
According to a police report filed on Tuesday, January 20, officers at the station’s Operations Control and Communications Department (OCPD) and the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Office were alerted by colleagues that OCS Kennedy Wanjala had embarked on a tree-hugging challenge within the station compound.
The report indicates that upon visiting the scene to confirm the incident, officers discovered the OCS hugging a tree in full official uniform, having attracted a substantial gathering of members of the public.
After engaging with him, officers noted that Wanjala appeared depressed and required medical attention, prompting immediate follow-up action.
“He was disengaged from the tree, and after talking to him, he appeared depressed and required medical attention. follow-up report to follow,” the police report reads.
“There is gender based violence, there is defilement, and then a lot of children are drinking alcohol and using bhang. We need to fix this as a community,” the OCS stated when asked his reason for participating in the challenge.
This comes a few days after the Ministry of Health issued a stern warning to Kenyans attempting similar endurance challenges without proper medical clearance.
Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, speaking on Thursday, January 15, emphasized that such physically demanding activities require thorough health assessments beforehand.
The Ministry revealed it had received multiple reports of participants experiencing medical emergencies and requiring hospitalization after undertaking extended tree-hugging exercises without adequate health screening.
While not banning the activity outright, health officials stressed the critical importance of ensuring physical fitness before attempting such feats.
The warning followed the hospitalization of Flora Anyango, a 23-year-old woman from Bungoma who captured national attention after hugging a tree for 74 hours to protest against corruption.
The young woman, who works as a househelp in Nairobi, traveled to her home county specifically to undertake the symbolic demonstration.
Anyango’s protest began at exactly 1:04 p.m. on Monday along the railway line opposite Posta Grounds in Bungoma town. Despite having no prior training for such an endurance challenge, she remained committed to her cause, going without food or water for the three days, with only a timekeeper to monitor her progress.
She was rushed to the hospital on Thursday following completion of her challenge. During a visit to her bedside, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka praised her courage and made a remarkable commitment to sponsor her college education.
“You did a good job of highlighting the issues you were advocating against,” Governor Lusaka told Anyango. “And so that you are able to continue with what you do, I also say you go ahead and look for that college you were talking about, and then contact me, and I will pay for your fees until you finish.”
The tree-hugging phenomenon began with Truphena Muthoni, who set the initial benchmark by hugging a tree for 72 hours to advocate for indigenous tree conservation and support for people living with disabilities. Her successful completion of the challenge sparked a nationwide trend that has since taken Kenya by storm.
