Mount Everest: Meet James Kagambi, First Kenyan to Summit World's Highest Mountain

 

James Kagambi died while climbing everest

James Kagambi, a 64-year-old man from Naro Moru, made history on May 12, 2022, when he reached the highest peak in the world. Mount Everest: Meet James Kagambi, First Kenyan to Summit World's Highest Mountain The retired teacher endured a painstaking 40-day climb to stand at the mountain’s peak, a staggering 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) above sea level. How did Kagambi feel to summit Everest? According to The East African, Kagambi described the experience as rewarding, given he endured such high altitudes at 62 years to make history. . Apart from the extreme weather, he had to contend with a 15-kilogram load consisting of an oxygen cylinder, layers of clothes, and climbing shoes. “I was so surprised when I got there because I expected it to be further,” he narrated. When he arrived at the summit, he prayed for Kenya, took some photographs, and started the descent shortly after for safety reasons. Where did it all start? Born in Karatina town in 1960 and raised in Naro Moru, the daredevil fell in love with outdoor adventure as a little boy and became a scout. His first climb was in 1983, aged 23, but it was a rough voyage because he had not prepared well and and was poorly dressed. Despite the brutal welcome into the mountaineering world, the feeling of touching snow sparked a passion for achieving more.  His desire to conquer terrain has led him to climb Mount Kenya over 200 times and Mt. Kilimanjaro over 100 times. Kagambi quit teaching He hoisted the commemorative flag on Mt Kenya in 2013 during the 50th independence anniversary. The trained teacher quit the teaching profession after seven years to become a full-time thrill-seeker. That, arguably, explains why he was surprised to receive enormous media attention and congratulatory messages from people after summiting Everest. “To me, it seemed like a normal thing to do. I started seeing the Everest summit through other people and their excitement,” he said. Mount Everest: Meet James Kagambi, First Kenyan to Summit World's Highest Mountain Which other achievements does Kagambi have? Apart from the Everest milestone, Kagambi is also the first black African to summit the Denali, North America’s highest mountain peak, 6,190 metres above sea level. In 1994, he became the first black African to summit the Aconcagua, the highest summit in the Americas, standing at 6,961 metres above sea level. He also represented Africa at the 1992 UN Peace Climb for the World on Mt Eiger in Switzerland. Kagambi attributed his successful climb to the support and motivation he received from his family. “Despite scaling up many other mountains I wasn’t sure if I would make it alive because all mountains are different and also because of my age," he stated.

by  Hillary Lisimba