Environmentalist Hillary Kiplagat seated inside the new vehicle alongside close family members/HANDOUT

Environmentalist Hillary Kiplagat has been rewarded with a Toyota Probox after planting 23,326 trees in 24 hours in Elgeyo Marakwet County, a feat that surpassed the previous world record and is now awaiting official ratification by Guinness World Records.

Kiplagat, founder of Green Earth Ambassadors, received the grey Probox from National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo following the achievement at Kessup Forest Station.

The tree-planting exercise began on Wednesday at 11.00 am and ended on Thursday at 11.00 am, with Kiplagat feat surpassing the previous record of 23,060 trees, set by Canadian planter Antoine Moses in La Crete, Alberta, on July 17, 2021.

In one of the photos shared online, Kiplagat is seen seated inside the new vehicle alongside close family members, all smiling after receiving the gift.

Kiptoo congratulated the environmentalist, saying the milestone had made Kenya proud and highlighted the importance of restoring forest cover.

“Congratulations to Hillary Kiplagat Kibiwott, founder of Green Earth Ambassadors, for making Kenya proud through his outstanding conservation work at Kessup Forest Block in Elgeyo Marakwet county,” Kiptoo said.

“His remarkable feat, which began yesterday at 11.00 am and concluded today at 11.00 am, saw him plant 23,326 trees in 24 hours, surpassing the previous record by 266 trees.”

He said the achievement was a major step towards Kenya’s target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 and underscored the role of individual efforts in combating climate change.

“This milestone underscores the critical importance of restoring and protecting our forests for present and future generations. It marks a significant step towards our country’s ambition to achieve the 15 billion tree cover target by 2032,” Kiptoo said.

The record is awaiting official confirmation by Guinness World Records, the global body responsible for verifying and certifying such achievements.

Kiplagat had initially targeted to plant at least 24,000 seedlings across 30.15 hectares during the 24-hour challenge, which coincided with Earth Day celebrations on April 22.

The attempt was flagged off by Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich, while officials from the Kenya Forest Service supervised the exercise.

Among those present were Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko, North Rift Regional Forest Conservator John Rono and County Forest Conservator Richard Guya, who provided technical support during the exercise.

Lemarkoko praised Kiplagat’s dedication to conservation and said the achievement would inspire more youth to take part in environmental restoration.

“He has demonstrated true passion and commitment to forest conservation,” he said.

Speaking in an earlier interview, Kiplagat said his motivation was to inspire youth-led climate action and raise awareness about the effects of climate change.

“What I want to be remembered for is that on this day, April 22, during the World Earth Day commemoration, I set out to plant over 24,000 trees in 24 hours,” he said.

“I aim to set a record and become the first African to achieve this here in Kenya.”

He said climate change was already visible through drying rivers and other environmental changes and urged more people to take individual responsibility in protecting nature.