Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala and his team celebrate after descending from Mt Kenya on November 17, 2017. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Climbing Mt Kenya was a life-changing but tough experience, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said after completing the five-day expedition alongside 11 other mountaineers.The CS also noted that the exercise was challenging, considering the fact that it was his first time.Balala and his team descended from Mt Kenya on Friday and at around 1 pm they emerged from the thicket to the reception of Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and officials from the Tourism ministry, the Nation has reported. The team looked tired but jovial at the same time. Balala could not hold back tears as he described his experience.“I had to complete it. I did this for Kenya which is very good. The most interesting thing is that climbing a mountain is very humbling,” said Balala, as quoted by the daily. The CS said that the mountain climbing experience reminded him of his late mother and a second person whom he did not mention as he was overwhelmed with emotions.“When I reached Lenana point, two people came to my mind. The first person is my late mother,” he said.The team started its excursion at Embori on Monday and used the Timau Trek to reach Lenana Peak, which is 4,985 meters above sea level.The excursion aims at promoting both domestic and local tourism in the country. The team will be climbing different mountains including Mt Karisimbi, Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Stanley, Mt Speke, Mt Meru, and Mt Nyiragongo.They seek to set a World First by climbing seven African Mountain Summits within seven weeks.