The day CBK governor and team conquered Mt Killimanjaro

Conquering Mt Kilimanjaro is no joke, it is dangerous and can stretch one beyond their physical limits.

So when Central Bank of Kenya staff led by Governor Patrick Njoroge set their sights on the mountain they knew they had to be ready.

“One cannot just wake up one day and decide to climb a mountain,” warns Munyaka Njiru, Director of Black Hammock Outdoors. Njiru’s team was the one that organised the venture.

“Preparing is key and determines the outcome of the climb,” he adds.

Grace Okara, head of communications at the bank, says that together with other members of staff, they had been preparing to climb Mt Kilimanjaro since March this year. She explains that such ventures are not an entirely new phenomenon to the staff.

Getting ready

“Incorporating fitness in our bonding sessions is something that has worked to build cohesion in the team,” says Grace.

You are bound to find some CBK staff at Karura Forest every Saturday morning running and jogging as they bond as part of their wellness programme. In preparation, Njoroge and 200 employees did eight pre-hikes in total. They climbed Longonot, Sleeping Warrior and Ngong Hills twice among other local hiking spots.

But not everyone was going and the list was trimmed to 30 members including the governor. Truly many are called but few are chosen and the lucky ones were upbeat. They set off for Moshi in Tanzania on June 4 to begin their ascent the following day. It was a journey that was going to take five nights and six days.

It was a tough ordeal, battling dizziness and nausea all common with high altitude, especially if the body is not used to it. For many it was the toughest physical challenge they had ever taken but they reached Uhuru Peak also known as ‘The roof of Africa.’

Tough challenge

“This was the first time for CBK to engage in an activity of this nature. It was a tough and grueling climb, certainly the toughest physical challenge for any of us,” confirms governor Njoroge.

“But, knowing the objective and the challenges ahead was central to ensuring that the entire team got to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa,” he says.

The team was supportive and encouraged each other, which exemplified that we are a cohesive unit keen to achieve our primary goal, says the governor.

“Getting the entire team to the top was thrilling, but the best moment was getting everyone down without injuries, and celebrating with the guides and porters,” says Njoroge.

So does the Governor of CBK have a message to other organisation heads on Corporate Social Responsibility and extreme activities?

Worthy cause

“The successful climb of Mt Kilimanjaro is historic for the CBK. First it was driven by staff’s objective of fundraising for a worthy cause. Second, the expedition succeeded in transforming ordinary staff into extraordinary performers,” he says.

“There are important lessons for organisations about self-sacrifice, breaking barriers, team building and bringing change to an organization,” says Njoroge.

But what would make the country’s top banker and his team to head to Tanzania?

“It all began last year as we celebrated our 50th anniversary,” explains Grace. Their celebration was anchored on the youth and the bank sponsored the Music festivals last year, she says.

This landed them an invite to State House to watch the winners performing. There St Kizito, a school for deaf children in Kericho ‘recited’ a beautiful poem in sign language on CBK.

“The fact that they could articulate themselves and bring out our story so powerfully won our hearts and we invited them to come over to the bank to perform for the other members of staff,” says Grace. That was the turning point.

These kids blew them away and as staff members, they decided to assist them. A team was sent to the school and it was discovered that besides the bathrooms being in really bad shape, power and water were erratic. The school caters for students from nursery to Standard Eight and it was sad to imagine a four-year-old who cannot talk scared in the dark.

Call for sponsorship

The staff members decided to upgrade the entire place; by drilling a borehole, installing solar energy, building bathrooms and a playground for the little ones. They hope to finalise some of the  projects by September 30 this year.

This was the mission that took them to Mt Kilimanjaro. To achieve this, they got sponsorships from different financial sectors and other big corporate organisations. The team was happy to get to the top. Though, Millicent Wamaitha has been hiking for the past two years, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro was a brand-new conquest.

“The last day was the most challenging and it was the hardest day of my life,” says Wamaitha.

“I was unwell and my body was feeling weak, but I was not going to give up on the last day,” she says.

It stopped being physical and became a mental challenge, she confesses. Wamaitha is glad that she got to interact with her colleagues under different circumstances and it changed her perception on how she sees things.

“I realised first hand that you can achieve anything you set your mind on,” says Wamaitha.

Unlike Wamaitha, her colleague Jillo Konde had a smooth climb with almost zero hiccups. Konde who comes from a hot and arid village at the border of Ethiopia says he was not affected by the altitude.

“My people are pastoralists and we do a lot of walking so I’m used to it,” he explains.

Tears and joy

He was the chief encourager to the group and would occasionally slow down so they would catch up with him.

“However, when we got to Barafu Camp, it took a toll on me since I come from a hot region,” says Konde.

He is glad though that he has struck off one item from his bucket list. We felt like family and were able to interact with everyone across the board regardless of rank, says Konde.

They were also joined by Ronald Marambii, CEO, Bank of Africa and five members of staff from Bank of Tanzania.

The experience came with many advantages, reveals Grace.

“The team bonded in a way you cannot achieve by taking them to a five-star hotel.” she says.

“The terrain, challenges, the tears and joy all bring out a part of you that you never knew existed.”

“Participants had their mental and physical strengths tested and discovered energies they never knew they had,” she adds.