Kenyan environmental activist Truphena Muthoni has made history in Brazil after hugging 1,234 trees in one hour, setting a new provisional Guinness World Record.
The event happened on Friday at the Jardim Botânico Brasília during her environmental awareness tour in the South American country.
The 22-year-old conservationist beat the previous record of 1,123 trees that had been set by Ghana’s Abubakar Tahiru in Alabama, USA, in March 2024.
Photos shared by the Kenyan Embassy in Brazil showed an emotional Muthoni celebrating moments after completing the challenge, surrounded by supporters and officials who had gathered to witness the attempt.
According to Muthoni, she had planned to hug at least 1,172 trees during the exercise but ended up going beyond her target.
“My target was 1,172. I got to 1,234,” Muthoni stated.
This implies that Muthoni was able to hug approximately 20 trees every minute for an entire one hour.
The Kenyan Embassy in Brazil termed this achievement as being a significant achievement during the environmental advocacy mission tour of Muthoni.
“On 8th May 2026, as part of her Environmental Awareness Tour in Brazil, Truphena Muthoni broke the Guinness World Record for the most trees hugged in one hour,” the embassy said.
This record is yet to be officially confirmed by Guinness World Records.
Kenya’s ambassador to Brazil, Dr. Andrew Karanja, was present at the event along with Deputy Head of Mission, Peris Kariuki, from Jardim Botânico Brasília and members of the Kenyan community residing in Brazil.
Popularly referred to as ‘the Tree Hugger for Justice’, Muthoni has become famous for taking up campaigns for protecting the environment and indigenous trees.
She managed to capture all their attention last year through hugging an indigenous tree in Nyeri for a period of 72 hours without stopping, thus surpassing her previous record of 48 hours.
Her campaigns have attracted a lot of attention not only locally but internationally too, as many young environmentalists join hands with her.
Speaking on record-breaking attempts, Muthoni said that these campaigns not only break world records but they create discussions on the subject of climate change and the necessity of saving our forests.
According to Muthoni, her sole motive through these campaigns is to ensure that indigenous trees are protected in addition to the role played by indigenous communities in conserving nature.
