Jimmy Irungu denies using 80-hour sleeping challenge to solicit funds from Kenyans
By Steve Ireri, April 11, 2026Pastor Jimmy Irungu has dismissed claims that his widely publicised 80-hour sleep challenge was a ploy to solicit money from Kenyans, insisting that his intentions were purely to create awareness about cancer.
Speaking in an interview with a local Kikuyu YouTuber on Saturday, April 11, 2026, Irungu clarified that at no point did he ask for financial contributions from the public, despite speculation that the initiative was aimed at fundraising for personal gain.
He explained that he had come across online posts circulating with his image alongside a phone number meant for donations, but maintained that he had no involvement in such appeals.
According to him, he did not set up any paybill number or request any form of financial support during the challenge.
“Some people said I wanted to make personal money through the cancer awareness challenge, but that is not true. I even saw a poster of me circulating online with a phone number for donations, but I want to clearly state that I did not have any pay bill number or anything like that. I did not ask anyone for money,” he said.
The pastor further stated that if individuals were willing to offer financial help, he consistently directed them to support gospel singer Njeru Thiga, who has been seeking additional funds to return to India for continued cancer treatment.
Irungu emphasised that, unlike Thiga, he is not battling cancer and therefore did not see the need to receive donations for himself. He noted that his role in the initiative was solely to highlight the realities faced by cancer patients and their families.
“In fact, there was a media person who came to interview me during the sleeping challenge, and when he asked if I was seeking donations, I told him that if anyone wanted to help, they should first support singer Njeru Thiga, who needs funds to return to India for cancer treatment,” he stated.
He also rejected claims that the challenge was staged to attract sympathy from Kenyans, terming such assertions as misleading. Instead, he reiterated that the endurance act was part of a broader campaign to educate the public on the devastating impact of cancer.
According to Irungu, the only support he would welcome is from the government in helping him scale up awareness campaigns around the disease so that more people can understand its effects and seek early intervention.
“I do not have cancer. The only help I would need is for the government to support me in creating more awareness about this disease. It is wrong to say that I did this to seek pity from Kenyans so they could raise money for me,” he shared.
Elusive challenge
Irungu explained that the initiative was meant to mirror the difficult journey that patients go through, from diagnosis and prolonged hospital stays to the financial strain placed on families seeking treatment.
The challenge followed an earlier attempt in which he tried to hug a tree for 80 hours in Murang’a town, an effort that ended in the 79th hour after he collapsed and was rushed to hospital.