A Kenyan has embarked on an ambitious endeavour seeking to cycle more than 10,000 kilometres from Cairo in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa.
Ian Mwangi, an alumnus of Starehe Boys' Centre, is seeking to raise school fees for up to 100 boys and girls through his noble but tasking cause.
His journey began at the start of November when he left Cairo in Egypt. So far, he has covered more than 4,000 kilometres of the 10,800 kilometres and expects to be in Cape Town by December 31.
The trip has not been without its challenges however as Mwangi has had to take flights and forfeit some kilometres in countries that are politically volatile.
"I couldn't cycle in Sudan because of the conflict that was ongoing so I had to take a flight to Addis Ababa then cycle to Moyale," he told Citizen TV.
Since he also couldn't cycle in the North of Ethiopia due to unrest, Mwangi decided to compensate for the distance by cycling to Mombasa and back, which is approximately 1000 kilometres.
Kenyans.co.ke has since established that the cycling challenge is part of a set of charity events meant to help mitigate the over-reliance of schools on donors.
Mwangi, who has been at the forefront of the challenge, consistently details parts of his journey, which has inspired thousands of Kenyans along the way.
One of the biggest challenges he has faced has been insecurity, particularly when he is away from his home country. In Egypt, for example, he spoke of how authorities consistently harassed them.
"We also endured communication barriers because they do not speak English...the traffic is crazy," he added.
This is not the first time Mwangi, a graphic and web designer by profession, has embarked on a noble cause for his former school.
In 2019, when Starehe Boys was marking its 60th anniversary, he cycled more than 937 kilometres from Busia to Mombasa to raise money for needy students.
Mwangi's event is just one of many lined up by the Old Starehian Society (OSS) which seeks to raise Ksh1 million for 100 students through charity.
