A fresh online debate has emerged after Benson Gathungu Kamau alias Bishop Kiengei weighed in on the viral “hug a tree” trend that has been making rounds on Kenyan social media.
In a Facebook post that quickly caught attention, Benson appeared to question the origins of the trend, urging the public to recognise Truphena as the original mind behind the idea. His statement, written partly in Kiswahili, suggested that the concept did not begin recently and deserved proper acknowledgment.
“Allow Truphena to be recognised as the original idea,” he wrote, adding that everyone starts somewhere and that even small beginnings matter.
While some social media users agreed with Benson’s sentiments, saying creators deserve credit for their concepts, others argued that movements such as environmental awareness evolve organically and cannot always be traced back to one individual.
The discussion has since expanded beyond the tree-hugging trend itself, touching on broader issues such as recognition in creative spaces, how viral ideas spread, and the fine line between inspiration and originality.
