MURANG’A, Kenya – A 30-year-old man from Murang’a has launched an 80-hour tree-hugging endurance challenge in a bid to draw national attention to Kenya’s rising cancer burden and push the government to step up prevention and treatment efforts.
James Irungu began the unusual awareness campaign on Sunday at 9pm in Murang’a town, vowing to remain hugging a tree continuously until Thursday morning at 5am.
By Monday afternoon, Irungu had already endured 12 hours of the gruelling challenge, attracting curious onlookers and supporters who gathered periodically to cheer him on as the hours ticked by.
Irungu said the initiative was driven by the growing number of cancer cases in the country and the devastating financial impact the disease continues to have on Kenyan families.
“I am doing this to show people that this is a very dangerous disease,” he told journalists shortly after starting the challenge. “Many families have been impoverished by cancer. Some have sold land, others have taken loans, and still, lives are being lost.”
He lamented that many patients are forced to seek specialised treatment abroad due to limited local capacity, a situation he described as both costly and heartbreaking.
“We do not have a hospital here in Kenya that can cure cancer. People have to go to India, and that journey is beyond the reach of most ordinary Kenyans,” he said.
Irungu urged the government to declare cancer a national disaster, similar to the approach adopted during the peak of the HIV/AIDS crisis, arguing that stronger public messaging and nationwide screening campaigns are urgently needed.
“When HIV came, we used to see posters everywhere in public places asking people if they had been tested,” he said. “We want the same for cancer — messages everywhere telling people to go for screening.”
He revealed that cancer has claimed the lives of several of his relatives, a personal experience that strengthened his resolve to speak out.
According to Irungu, increased public education, early detection and investment in local treatment facilities could significantly reduce cancer-related deaths.
“I feel the government response is still inadequate compared to the scale of the problem,” he said.
The tree-hugging marathon comes amid growing public interest in endurance-based awareness campaigns.
Currently, Nyeri resident Truphena Muthoni holds the record for the longest tree-hugging marathon at 48 hours, while a separate 72-hour attempt is still awaiting ratification by Guinness World Records.
Irungu hopes to surpass those milestones — but says his main goal is to ignite a national conversation on cancer prevention and care.
“If this makes even one person go for screening or pushes leaders to act, then the pain and discomfort will be worth it,” he said as he braced himself to continue the challenge through the night.
