It's the last week of December and many companies have closed for the Christmas holidays. But Mombasa lawyer Benjamin Njoroge is still in the office.
Mombasa is considered a relaxed city and December is for unwinding, partying or spending time with family.
However, Njoroge has just returned from a one-week trip from Tanzania. He managed to climb the tallest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro.
At the office, the lawyer is going through a pile of documents on his table. He needs to clear the backlog after a one-week absence.
The office is tastefully decorated with intricate wood carvings with Swahili designs.
“I brought in a Swahili carpenter from Lamu to do the interior work of this office. The wood is from the mango tree. Everything you see here was my idea,” he says.
Our interview is not about the interior design or the inspiration behind it. However, one cannot miss the intricate design of the woodwork in this corner office on the eighth floor of the National Social Security Fund building in Mombasa city.
Njoroge has a love for Swahili designs. It might be the reason he made Mombasa his second home.
After living here for years, Njoroge found an unexpected pursuit: hiking.
He conquered the towering heights of Mt Kilimanjaro just two years after scaling Mt Kenya in 2021.
How was the hike up Mt Kilimanjaro?
"The trip to Mt Kilimanjaro has taken some time. We started planning it immediately after we descended from Mt Kenya in 2021," he says.
The initial plan was to conquer Kilimanjaro in December 2022, but unforeseen setbacks, including the loss of a team member and unpredictable weather patterns, led to rescheduling to 2023.
During the Mt Kenya hike in December 2021, Njoroge and a team of about 10 Mombasa Law Society members set out on the mission to celebrate 110 years of legal lobby.
The MLS was established in 1911 and is the oldest lawyers’ organisation not only in Kenya but also in Africa.
Once they conquered Mt Kenya, their next stop was Mt Kilimanjaro.
"So, we had planned it for December 2022, but unfortunately, the initial team that we had summited Mt Kenya with suffered some setbacks. We lost one of our very close members, Christine Kipsang, who became unwell around March 2022,” he said.
Another member of the team, Eva Odongo, also became ill the same year.
“We were hampered, and we did not feel it was right to take that trip when some of our members were struggling. We decided to push the trip to December 2023,” he says.
Before setting up for the hike, Njoroge met at least four other Kenyans and people from other nations who were also in Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.
Everyone had a different reason for their mission.
“We had a couple in our hiking team who were there to celebrate their 20th marriage anniversary. I just found it amazing that instead of taking a cruise ship, and they looked like they could afford it, they decided to hike together,” Njoroge says.
From the day they set out to up the mountain, Njoroge had planned to do many things after reaching Uhuru Peak, about 5,895 metres above sea level.
“I had many plans about what to do when I got to the peak. I knew I would recite a certain prayer; I would remember the loyalty pledge. They all evaporated,” he says.
Just before reaching the peak, they almost gave up because of exhaustion. The team had about a kilometre remaining to the top.
“Some Tanzanians found us on the way. They draped my colleague with a Kenyan flag. They then told us that if we did not walk for the next one kilometre from the point we had reached, we would not be able to take the Kenyan flag to the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro,” Njoroge says.
This motivated them. “So, that gave us more energy to be able to walk.”
Most hikers usually summit Mt Kilimanjaro at night so they can catch the spectacular sunrise from the peak of the mountain.
“So, you would leave at about 10pm. If you're hiking from 10pm, ideally you should be at the peak around 6am or 530 am when the sun is coming up,” the lawyer says.
However, Njoroge’s team started summiting the mountain in the morning at around 4.30am.
“By the time we were starting our hike, everybody else had gone. Actually, on our way up we met groups of people who had given up and were going down. But we did not give up,” he says.
They walked for 12 hours to the summit.
“What was supposed to have been a six-hour hike, we did it in 12 hours. So, by the time, we got to the peak, we were so tired.”
Njoroge and his team of four other Kenyans reached the top of Mt Kilimanjaro on the evening of December 12, Kenya’s Independence Day.
The sense of accomplishment at the peak of Kilimanjaro was overwhelming, and the pride of raising the Kenyan flag on the 60th Independence Day added to the profound experience.
“There was a great feeling of accomplishment. You are overwhelmed by the moment. The feeling is indescribable. You need to be there to feel it,” Njoroge says.
At the top of Mt Kilimanjaro, he held up two flags: one for the Mombasa Law Society, where he previously served as chairperson, and the national flag to celebrate Kenya’s independence.
For a moment, Njoroge felt like Kisoi Munyao, the Kenyan who planted a flag on Mt Kenya in 1963 to celebrate independence from British colonialism.
Njoroge's journey into hiking began during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.
As a lawyer often dealing with complex cases, he sought a meaningful escape from the digital and information-overload.
He wanted something to completely clear his mind.
Traditional holidays with family proved insufficient for decompression, leading him to discover the transformative power of hiking.
"In hiking, I have found out that it clears your mind. It's good for your mental health. And I think now mental health has become a big issue," he says.
Hiking provided Njoroge with the necessary detachment to recalibrate and refocus, crucial for his demanding professional life.
“When venturing into terrains with limited connectivity like Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro, the need for phones diminishes. The disconnect allows hikers to immerse themselves fully in the experience,” he says.
Beyond the physical and mental benefits, hiking has become a catalyst for Njoroge's weight-loss journey. The rigorous preparation for Kilimanjaro helped him shed significant weight, fostering a healthier lifestyle.
“So, the other thing that has helped me in hiking is weight loss. I have had a challenge losing weight. At one time, my weight was 98kg. For my kind of body frame and height, that body mass index was more than 30, which is pretty high,” he says.
Because of consistent hiking, he has been able to shed much weight.
Before summiting Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro, Njoroge and friends did regular hikes in Taita Taveta and Kwale counties, which are quite hilly.
“The preparation for Mt Kilimanjaro helped me shed weight. I was 94 kilos, and I started exercising and intermittent fasting. I was able to shed my weight and by the time I was hitting the mountain I was at 79 kilos,” he says.
“On the mountain, I was able to lose two more kilos.”
Njoroge s grateful for support from the Mombasa Law Society and the Mombasa Walk Movement. Hiking has helped him find his balance in life.
"For me, when you come from a hike everything looks very settled. You find your footing and your balance. So, my encouragement is to ask other people to join us in hiking,” he says.
Hiking is more than a physical activity. It's a journey that clears the mind, nurtures mental health and provides unique perspectives on life, the lawyer says.
As the interview concludes, Njoroge shares his future hiking aspirations, including tackling the challenging Ruwenzori in Uganda and eventually setting his sights on the pinnacle of hiking: Mount Everest.