Ministry Cautions Kenyans on Dangers of Extreme Tree Hugging

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

Kenya, 15 January 2026 - A curious wellness craze has landed on the Ministry of Health’s radar, triggering a public warning that doubles as a broader commentary on how Kenyans approach both health and healthcare financing.

Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni has cautioned that prolonged tree hugging—often associated with mindfulness and environmental activism—can become a physically strenuous activity with real medical consequences when undertaken without proper preparation or clearance.

Speaking in Ngiriambu, Gichugu constituency in Kirinyaga County, Muthoni said the ministry has recorded cases of people collapsing and being rushed to hospital after engaging in extended tree-hugging sessions.

While the activity may appear benign, she framed it as another example of how wellness trends can slip into risky territory when taken to extremes.

Her message was blunt: what looks harmless can still overstretch the body, especially in people with underlying conditions they may not even know they have.

Insisting on medical check-ups before such activities, the PS placed personal responsibility at the centre of public health.

In a country where many citizens live with undiagnosed hypertension, heart disease or respiratory conditions, sudden exertion—even in unconventional forms—can tip the balance from wellness to emergency.

Muthoni’s warning that people should not “wake up and decide” to engage in demanding activity without training echoes advice more commonly associated with gyms and marathons, but it now applies just as much to alternative fitness and wellness movements.

More from Kenya

Ethiopia Prioritizes Tourism Boost to Accelerate Economic Growth

No image

Vodacom Retains Africa’s Top Employer Title for Third Consecutive Year

The choice of venue—a burial ceremony—added a somber undertone to her remarks. It reinforced the idea that preventable health incidents can easily end in tragedy if warnings are ignored. In that sense, her caution was less about trees and more about a wider culture of underestimating physical strain and overestimating one’s own resilience.

Yet the PS did not stop at lifestyle risks. She used the same platform to pivot to another pressing concern: the integrity of the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA) system.

As Kenyans increasingly rely on SHA to cushion them against medical bills, allegations of hospitals exploiting the scheme have grown louder. Muthoni directly accused some private and mission hospitals of inflating bills to extract more money from SHA, turning a public safety net into a profit centre.

Her directive that hospitals must clearly display what services are free, which are covered by SHA, and what requires out-of-pocket payment is a move towards transparency in a system that many patients find confusing and intimidating. In practice, unclear billing often leaves sick and vulnerable people at the mercy of administrators who control access to treatment. By demanding open information, the ministry is trying to rebalance power back towards patients.

The link between her two messages—tree hugging and SHA abuse—may not be obvious at first glance, but both revolve around the same theme: avoidable harm. In one case, individuals risk their health by pushing their bodies without medical guidance; in the other, institutions risk undermining public trust by exploiting a system meant to protect those very patients.

Muthoni’s warning that the ministry “will not hesitate” to act against offending facilities signals that enforcement, not just policy, will define the next phase of health sector reforms. If followed through, it could restore confidence in SHA at a time when many Kenyans are still unsure whether the new insurance regime will truly work for them.

Ultimately, the ministry’s intervention highlights a growing tension in Kenya’s health landscape. On one side is a population experimenting with new forms of wellness and self-care; on the other is a healthcare system struggling to enforce fairness and accountability. Whether hugging trees or swiping an SHA card at a hospital, Muthoni’s message was the same: health, in all its forms, demands both caution and transparency.