NAIROBI, Kenya, May 9 – 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 a climate awareness campaign in Brazil.
The record attempt took place on Friday, May 8, at the Jardim Botânico Brasília, where Muthoni surpassed the previous record of 1,123 trees set in March 2024 by Ghanaian forestry student Abubakar Tahiru in Alabama, United States.
Muthoni had initially targeted 1,172 trees but exceeded her goal by hugging an additional 62 trees within the one-hour challenge.
“Target was 1,172. We reached 1,234. After decades, Afro-Indigenous Brazil and the African diaspora meet again. An old friendship remembered. A living connection restored.,” Muthoni said after completing the feat.
Under Guinness World Records guidelines, participants are required to fully wrap both arms around each tree for at least two to three seconds for the attempt to qualify.
The Kenyan activist averaged nearly one tree every three seconds during the challenge, translating to roughly 20 trees per minute.
The Guinness World Records team is expected to review video footage and supporting evidence before officially ratifying the achievement.
In a statement issued Saturday morning, the Kenyan Embassy in Brazil confirmed the accomplishment, describing it as part of Muthoni’s environmental awareness tour in the South American country.
“On May 8, 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 drew support from Kenyan diplomats, environmental officials and members of the Kenyan community living in Brazil.
Among those present were Dr Andrew Karanja, Deputy Head of Mission Peris Kariuki and Allan Freire.
Muthoni is currently an ambassador for Kenya’s national 15-billion tree planting campaign aimed at increasing forest cover and combating climate change.
She first gained international recognition earlier this year after successfully hugging a tree continuously for 72 hours in Nyeri County, a feat that earned her a Guinness World Record after breaking the previous 48-hour mark.
If ratified, the Brazil achievement will become Muthoni’s second Guinness World Record title and further elevate her growing profile as one of Kenya’s most visible climate campaigners.