President William Ruto has appointed an emerging environmental advocate and digital influencer Truphena Muthoni as an ambassador for his flagship tree-planting programme. This signals a renewed push to blend climate policy with youth-driven civic engagement.
The appointment places Ms Truphena, best known for breaking her own Guinness World Record after hugging a tree in Nyeri for over 72 hours last week, at the centre of the government’s ambition to dramatically raise Kenya’s tree cover by 15 billion trees.
She was accorded a national honour. “As a mark of national honour for her exemplary service to environmental stewardship, I have conferred upon Truphena Muthoni the Head of State Commendation (HSC) Medal,” said President Ruto.
“In addition, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry will support the realization of her dream to visit Brazil, broadening her exposure to global conservation initiatives and environmental leadership,” said Ruto in a statement to newsrooms.
AMBITIOUS TARGET
The Ruto administration has set an aggressive national target, framing reforestation as both a climate imperative and an economic opportunity tied to jobs, water security and agricultural resilience.
State House officials said Truphena’s role will focus on public mobilisation, awareness campaigns and community partnerships, particularly among urban youth and schools, where attitudes towards conservation are increasingly shaped online.
Her task will be to translate policy goals into practical action—encouraging households, institutions and counties to plant and nurture trees, rather than treat the exercise as a one-off ceremonial event.
In recent years, the government has struggled with uneven uptake of tree-planting initiatives, with critics arguing that survival rates matter more than headline numbers.
POLITICAL SYMBOLISM
By bringing in a non-state actor with a strong grassroots following, the administration appears to be betting on credibility and peer influence rather than top-down directives alone.
For President Ruto, the move also carries political symbolism. Climate action has become a central pillar of his domestic and international messaging, positioning Kenya as a green economy leader in Africa.
Elevating a young woman of 22 years to a visible ambassadorial role aligns with his emphasis on youth inclusion and non-traditional leadership voices.
