BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Kenyan environmental activist Truphena Muthoni has provisionally broken the Guinness World Record for the most trees hugged in one hour after embracing 1,234 trees during an environmental awareness campaign in Brazil.
The record attempt took place on Friday, May 8, at Jardim Botânico Brasília as part of Muthoni’s Environmental Awareness Tour in Brazil.
The previous record of 1,123 trees hugged in one hour was set by Abubakar Tahiru in Auburn, Alabama, United States, on March 25, 2024.
Tahiru achieved the feat by wrapping both arms around each tree at an average pace of one tree every three seconds without taking breaks for water.
Muthoni surpassed that mark by 111 trees, averaging roughly 20 trees every minute during the challenge.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, the activist confirmed the achievement, saying: “Target was 1,172. We reached 1,234.”
She added: “After decades, Afro-Indigenous Brazil and the African diaspora meet again.”
The Embassy of Kenya in Brazil also confirmed the achievement in a statement, describing the feat as part of efforts to promote environmental conservation and climate awareness.
“On 8th May 2026, as part of her Environmental Awareness Tour in Brazil, Truphena Muthoni, HSC, broke the Guinness World Record for the most trees hugged in one hour,” the embassy said.
The event was attended by Andrew Karanja, Deputy Head of Mission, Peris Kariuki, and Allan Freire, alongside Kenyan nationals living in Brazil and local residents who cheered her on throughout the challenge.
The 22-year-old conservationist, popularly known as the “Tree Hugger for Justice,” has gained international attention for her unconventional environmental campaigns centred on indigenous tree protection and climate advocacy.
In December 2025, Muthoni reportedly set another endurance milestone after hugging a single indigenous tree in Nyeri for 72 consecutive hours without food, water, or sleep.
That feat surpassed her earlier 48-hour record set in February 2025.
Muthoni has consistently framed her campaigns as a call for stronger protection of indigenous forests and recognition of Indigenous communities’ role in climate conservation.
She has said her initiatives seek “to elevate and advocate for the protection of indigenous trees and to honour the wisdom of Indigenous Peoples, whose knowledge systems remain central to global climate solutions.”
The latest achievement now awaits official verification by Guinness World Records before it can be formally recognised.
