{"id":128717,"date":"2026-01-15T18:02:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T18:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/health-ministry-warns-against-prolonged-tree-hugging-without-medical-clearance\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T18:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T18:02:44","slug":"health-ministry-warns-against-prolonged-tree-hugging-without-medical-clearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/health-ministry-warns-against-prolonged-tree-hugging-without-medical-clearance\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Ministry warns against prolonged tree hugging without medical clearance."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 15 \u2013 The Ministry of Health has cautioned members of the public against engaging in strenuous activities such as prolonged tree hugging without proper medical check-ups and physical preparation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni has raised alarm over what she termed as a worrying trend, noting that some individuals have collapsed and ended up in hospital after hugging trees for long periods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTree hugging may look harmless, but when done for long hours it becomes a strenuous physical activity that can pose serious health risks. We have recorded cases of people being rushed to hospital after collapsing, yet these incidents could have been avoided,\u201d said Muthoni.<\/p>\n<p>The PS emphasized that individuals should first undergo medical examinations to rule out underlying health conditions before engaging in such activities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore you subject your body to any demanding exercise, it is important to know your health status. Some people have hidden conditions that can easily lead to loss of life when the body is overstretched,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n<p>Muthoni\u2019s observation comes after Pastor James \u201cJimmy\u201d Irungu collapsed early January 8, 2026 morning after spending nearly 79 hours and 40 minutes hugging a tree in an ambitious 80-hour marathon aimed at raising awareness about cancer.<\/p>\n<p>The 30-year-old pastor from Murang\u2019a County was taken to Murang\u2019a County Level Five Hospital, where doctors say he suffered from dehydration and fatigue.<\/p>\n<p>The existing record for the longest tree-hugging marathon is held by Kenyan environmentalist Truphena Muthoni, who previously completed a 48-hour challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Ngiriambu, Gichugu constituency in Kirinyaga County, on Thursday, January 15,2026, where she attended a burial ceremony, Muthoni added that proper preparation and rehearsal are also critical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can not wake up and decide to engage in strenuous activity without training. The body must be prepared gradually to avoid serious complications,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the PS cautioned health facilities against exploiting patients using the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA) cover, insisting that Kenyans deserve value for their contributions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is unacceptable for hospitals to overcharge SHA cards just to make profits at the expense of sick and vulnerable patients,\u201d Muthoni stated.<\/p>\n<p>She singled out some private and mission hospitals accused of inflating bills and directed all health facilities to clearly display services offered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHospitals must clearly indicate what services are free, which ones are covered by SHA and what patients are expected to pay out of pocket. This will help patients make informed decisions and avoid exploitation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Muthoni reiterated that the ministry will not hesitate to take action against facilities found abusing the health insurance system, noting that the reforms are meant to protect, not burden, patients.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 15 \u2013 The Ministry of Health has cautioned members of the public against engaging in strenuous activities such as prolonged tree hugging without proper medical check-ups and physical preparation. Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni has raised alarm over what she termed as a worrying trend, noting that some individuals have collapsed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128717\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}