Truphena Muthoni has come forward with some straight talk about the ambassador job President Ruto gave her for the 15 billion tree planting campaign. The 22-year-old says she still has no clear idea what she’s supposed to do, and nobody from the government has stepped in to explain it.
She put it all out there during a recent chat on Ghetto Radio. “To be honest, the president gave me a job as an ambassador for the 15 billion tree planting campaign, but I don’t understand what this job is,” she said.
“No one has ever come to tell me what this job is for and how it is done. I just saw him posting it.” Her words landed like a surprise because everyone remembers how this whole story started.
Back in December 2025, Truphena grabbed the spotlight when she wrapped her arms around a tree in Nyeri and stayed there for a full 72 hours straight. That marathon hug broke her own Guinness World Record and drew attention from all over.
President Ruto liked what he saw. He invited her to State House, gave her the Head of State Commendation, and right there announced she would serve as ambassador for his big tree planting push. At the time it felt like a perfect match – a passionate young woman getting a national platform to fight for the environment.
The 15 billion trees project sits at the heart of Ruto’s plans to green up Kenya and push forest cover toward 30 per cent by 2032. Teams across counties have planted millions of seedlings already, but keeping them alive through dry spells and making sure they actually grow remains tough work.
The idea was to get everyone involved, from school kids to big companies. Appointing visible faces like Truphena seemed like a smart way to keep the message alive in everyday conversations.
No meeting at the Environment Ministry. No list of tasks. No plan on how she should help spread the word or get communities planting. She learned about her new title the same way most Kenyans did – by seeing the president’s social media post. That honesty has sparked all kinds of reactions across the country.
On X and in WhatsApp groups, people are sharing her clip and adding their own thoughts. Some laugh and say it shows how government sometimes moves fast on announcements but slow on the details that matter.
Others cheer her on for speaking plainly instead of smiling and pretending everything is fine. A few wonder if she should have reached out herself, while many point out that a proper handover should come from the ministry, not the other way around.
Truphena has always mixed her climate work with messages about mental health. Her tree hug was not just about breaking a record – she wanted to show how time in nature can calm the mind and bring people together.
That same energy made her stand out. Now she finds herself with an official title but still doing her own thing, talking about possible new challenges and records she might try next.
The situation shines a light on bigger questions about how national campaigns actually run day to day. Plenty of young people got excited when they saw Truphena get the nod.
They hoped it meant fresh ideas and real chances to join the effort. If even the ambassador feels left in the dark, what does that say for regular volunteers or community groups trying to plant and protect trees on their own?
So far the Environment Ministry under Dr Deborah Barasa has stayed quiet on her comments. No statement has come explaining the next steps or when someone might sit down with Truphena to map out her role.
The government keeps stressing that the tree planting numbers are growing and that the programme stays on course, but stories like this one add fuel to talks about follow-through and support.
Truphena herself sounds ready to keep going no matter what. She has not stepped back from environmental causes and continues sharing ideas about how trees connect to better lives for everyone. Supporters say her fresh approach and willingness to speak up could still become an asset if the right backing arrives soon.
In the end, this episode leaves many Kenyans thinking about the gap between big promises made at the top and the day-to-day reality for people asked to help deliver them.
For now Truphena Muthoni waits for that phone call or meeting that turns her ambassador title into something she can actually work with. Whether it comes quickly or drags on, her honest words have already got plenty of people paying closer attention to how Kenya’s green push moves forward – or sometimes stalls – in practice.
