Tiger power, Kenya’s ‘strongest man’ weak in hospital

Nairobi: Conrad Njeru Karukenya, better known as Tiger Power, Kenya’s strongest man who is known for being ran over by a Land Rover unscathed and carrying eight huge men without breaking a sweat has become sick and hospitalized for the first time in his life.

The 69-year-old who has made a name by performing extraordinary stunts like breaking six-inch nails using his teeth has been in hospital for over a month now.

 “It started with my body swelling. When I came to the hospital, doctors told me that my heart had also swollen,” Tiger Power told the Standard.

Tiger Power who has lived a health life for close to seven decades now, said that doctors had carried out “endless tests” so as to ascertain what he has suffering from.  Doctors suspect that he might be suffering from a heart condition alongside other complications.

Although he is one of the most popular and recognizable faces in the country, his fame has not come with material fortunes.

 On Tuesday morning, he was in his hospital bed struggling to raise Sh7, 000 for a scan. He is seeking help to meet his medical bills.

Tiger Power discovered his extraordinary strength by accident when he was transporting his father’s coffee beans to the factory.

“As I was guiding the ox-cart carrying 2.1 tonnes of coffee downhill, the brakes failed.  I guided it to the roadside and as I was lying on my back fixing the left wheel, the oxen unexpectedly pulled away running over my abdomen. Despite the heavy luggage, it did not hurt,” he recalled during a previous interview.

From that moment, Tiger Power has shown his extraordinary strengths in front of villagers, students, scientists to presidents in various parts of the world.

A decade ago, he dared any man in Africa to face him in a test of strength contest. No one has come so far to face the gigantic man who comes from Embu County who started his shows of power while still in school in 1963.

Tiger Power, who has a diploma in physical fitness, and is studying Early Childhood Education at Kenyatta University. In 2008, he was conferred with a Head of States Commendation award.