Pastor Jimmy Irungu’s mission to help patients disrupted after car breaks down on major highway
By Steve Ireri, July 31, 2026Pastor Jimmy Irungu, who gained national attention after collapsing during his viral tree-hugging challenge earlier this year, has shared details of a frustrating ordeal that disrupted his plans to visit patients and attend a funeral.
In a Facebook post on Friday, July 31, 2026, Irungu said he experienced one of his toughest days after his vehicle developed a mechanical problem while he was driving along Muthaiga Highway.
“Waaah, today I have never gone through such hardships. I was going to go take care of patients,” he wrote.
According to the pastor, his car’s serpentine belt snapped while he was on the highway, leaving him stranded.
“When I got to Muthaiga on the highway, my car’s serpentine belt snapped. Help! Some guys came and pushed us all the way to that Total station,” he said.
After reaching the fuel station, Irungu said he was informed that repairing the vehicle would cost Ksh 6,000, something that added to his frustration.
“When we got there, they told us, ‘Do you know we want 6k?’God, you go to help people and you run into other problems,” he wrote.
The pastor revealed that at the time, he was accompanied only by his best friend and eventually had to leave the vehicle at the Total station.
“Oh God, and at that time I was only with my bestie. Now I have left it there at Total,” he added.
The unexpected breakdown also disrupted other commitments. Irungu disclosed that he was unable to attend the funeral of a man identified as Francis but expressed hope that he would be able to do so the following day.
“Ata sikueweza kuenda matanga ya Francis but tomorrow I will,” he concluded.
Elusive challenge
Following the elusive 80-hour tree-hugging challenge, the pastor suffered an acute kidney injury and severe muscle fatigue.
Speaking on Thursday, January 8, 2026, Dr James Kahuna, a consultant physician and nephrologist at Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, said that the preacher was admitted earlier in the morning after collapsing at the tree where he had been undertaking the challenge.
“My name is Doctor James Kahuna. I am a consultant physician and nephrologist. We received James Irungu earlier today in the morning,” the doctor said.
The doctor explained that when they received Jimmy, he had severe dehydration and exhaustion, which had begun to affect his organs.
He noted that the preacher had developed an acute kidney injury as a result of the extreme physical stress and that his muscle enzymes were significantly elevated, indicating substantial muscle fatigue.
“He had been in town and was planning to stay for 80 hours, hugging a tree to raise awareness about cancer, which is a major pandemic in this country. When we received him, he had collapsed at the tree. He was extremely exhausted, severely dehydrated, and had started developing organ failure,” he shared.
Dr Kahuna added that the patient was admitted to the ward for resuscitation and that fluids were administered to restore his electrolytes to normal levels.
“We noted that he had an acute kidney injury and significant muscle fatigue. His muscle enzymes were elevated, and because of that, we admitted him to the ward, administered resuscitation, and gave him fluids to restore his electrolytes to normal levels,” the doctor stated.
He confirmed that Pastor Irungu’s sugar levels were now stable and that the patient was showing good progress, but the medical team would continue to observe him for at least 24 hours to ensure there were no further complications.
“He is now making good progress. His sugar levels are stable, and we are happy that he is currently stable. However, we will continue observing him for at least 24 hours,” the doctor revealed.