A historic mangrove-planting marathon at Tudor Creek has drawn praise from government officials after international environmental advocate Antoine Moses completed a record-breaking environmental feat, with Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi saying the achievement reflects the spirit needed to restore degraded ecosystems across Kenya.
The challenge ended at exactly 08:01 a.m. on Friday, 1st May, after Moses planted 47,460 mangrove propagules within 24 hours at Mirarani, Tudor Creek in Mombasa County, surpassing his previous global benchmark.
Speaking in Mombasa after the feat, Mugambi congratulated the environmental advocate and said Kenya was honoured to host such a globally significant restoration effort, noting that the record is now awaiting ratification by Guinness World Records.
“We welcome him to Kenya, congratulate him for the attempt awaiting ratification and encourage the community and all of Kenya to plug in,” said Mugambi.
The PS said Antoine’s endurance challenge directly supports the government’s plan to grow 15 billion trees by 2032 under President William Ruto’s environmental agenda.
He observed that mangrove restoration is one of the most complex forms of tree planting because workers operate in muddy zones affected by tides and shifting coastal conditions.
“Planting mangroves is among the toughest forms of restoration,” he said, adding that Antoine’s effort showed what commitment can deliver.
Mugambi noted that Kenya’s coastline depends heavily on healthy mangrove forests for biodiversity, fisheries productivity, carbon storage and protection against storm surges.
He said the world record attempt had therefore become an important awareness campaign on the value of conserving coastal ecosystems.
According to the PS, restoration success depends on strong partnerships between government institutions, local communities and private conservation actors.
He thanked the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, EarthLungs and community groups for supporting the 24-hour exercise at Mirarani Site.
The PS said Kenya welcomes innovators and environmental champions willing to contribute to climate action and landscape recovery.
He also invited Antoine to visit more parts of the country after the challenge and experience Kenya’s hospitality.
As celebrations continued at the site, Mugambi said the achievement should inspire young people to view environmental protection as a noble mission.
He added that Kenya remains committed to scaling up restoration projects from forests and water towers to drylands and marine ecosystems, positioning itself as a leader in global restoration efforts.
