Truphena Muthoni hugging a tree/COURTESY

Ambassador for the 15 billion Tree Planting Campaign Truphena Muthoni has claimed that she is yet to receive any formal engagement outlining her responsibilities months after her appointment

Muthoni claimed that despite being named to the role, no government official has reached out to brief her on what is expected, leaving her uncertain about the scope of her duties.

Muthoni was appointed by William Ruto on December 15, 2025, as part of the government’s push to accelerate the 15 billion trees initiative, a flagship programme aimed at boosting forest cover and strengthening Kenya’s climate resilience.

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“The government appointed me as the 15 billion trees initiative ambassador. I have my office for Truphena Muthoni Foundation in Lang’ata. The one for the appointed ambassadorial post, I don’t know much about it, but I will speak to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to understand,” she claimed during an interview at Ghetto Radio on Wednesday.

She maintained that there has been no structured communication regarding the position.

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“I don’t understand the duties. No one has approached me to make me understand what my duties are. We haven’t spoken about the role,” Muthoni added.

Even so, she affirmed that she continues to support the national tree-growing campaign through her ongoing environmental work.

The President hosted 22-year-old climate activist Truphena at the State House, Nairobi, following her remarkable achievement of breaking the 72-hour tree-hugging world record.

The campaign is a central pillar of the government’s climate action agenda, targeting massive tree cover expansion across the country.

“As a mark of national honour for her exemplary service to environmental stewardship, I have conferred upon Truphena Muthoni the Head of State Commendation (HSC) Medal,” Ruto announced.

Ruto praised the young activist for using innovative and symbolic action to rally Kenyans around environmental protection. Ruto praised the young activist for using innovative and symbolic action to rally Kenyans around environmental protection.

T

he Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry is committed to supporting the realisation of her long-held dream to visit Brazil, a move expected to broaden her exposure to global conservation initiatives and strengthen her environmental leadership.

On January 30, t

he Guinness World Records recognised Truphena's 72-hour tree-hugging world record.

Guinness World Records described Muthoni's feat as an act by a "passionate environmental activist from Kenya sending a strong message about protecting the Earth after hugging a tree for three whole days."

"Truphena Muthoni has set the record for longest marathon hugging a tree with an unbelievable total of 72 hours," Guinness World Records said.

"The record was first broken in 2024 by Faith Patricia Ariokot (Uganda) with a time of 16 hr 6 sec."

Truphena, who has founded her own initiative called Hug the Earth, told Guinness that the first attempt was for introducing humanity, while the second one was commitment.

“The first attempt was a statement, a way to reintroduce humanity to the Earth through a simple, intimate act,” Truphena told Guinness.

“The second attempt was a commitment. I realised that the world needed more than symbolism; it needed endurance, consistency, and proof that care for the planet is not momentary. Doing it twice was my way of saying that climate action is not a one-off event but a sustained responsibility.”