By Our Correspondent
The first Kenyan to ever climb up to the highest point on earth was yesterday feted in his home county of Nyeri.
James Ngarariga Kagambi was honoured and crowned a hero in a ceremony presided by area governor Mutahi Kahiga for the rare fete that he accomplished on May 12 last year.
Kagambi was in a group of seven black Africans who climbed the mountain which is located between Nepal and Tibet in Asia.
He achieved the unthinkable by reaching the Everest peak at 8,849 meters or 29,032 feet where they spent 40 days.
“This has made the county of Nyeri proud and therefore, we have elevated Kagambi to a high profile tourism ambassador for Nyeri County,” the governor said during the crowning ceremony.
Since 1953, about 6,000 climbers have summited Mt. Everest, but only eight are black African climbers. Kagambi therefore joins the small list of other heroes and heroines from Nyeri who have also achieved great accomplishments in their respective disciplines. These include greats like Mwai Kibaki (Kenya’s 3rd President). Dedan Kimathi Wachiuri (the greatest freedom fighter of all) and Kariuki Itote alias General China.
Others include Prof. Wangari Maathai (The Nobel Peace Laureate, Catherine Dereva and Douglas Wakiihuri among others.
“This has started the journey of honouring heros and heroines as a county which is geared to promote Nyeri County as a tourism destination with great heritage, a wealth of natural sites and great heroes, heroines and legends,” the governor who was accompanied by among others his deputy David Kinaniri added.
The governor revealed that at the time that Kagambi was accomplishing his mission, his government had just trained 150 mountain climbers, guides and cooks.
This was in the effort to build the capacity of players in the sector to rejuvenate the tourism sector in Nyeri County.
The training was done in collaboration with Dedan Kimathi University of Science & Technology but fully paid for by the County Government of Nyeri.
Kahiga urged the National Government to also recognize KG as a national hero.