An alumnus of Starehe Boys Centre, Ian Gichohi Mwangi has attained an ambitious yet remarkable feat after he managed to cycle from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa and back home to Kenya. He covered a total distance of 10,000 kilometres.
Mwangi was on a mission to raise money for his former institution, with the aim to raise enough fees for 100 students from needy backgrounds, including those at Starehe Girls School. Each student anticipates to receive Sh. 100 million.
“I am riding 10,800 kilometres from Cairo to Cape Town to raise Sh. 100 million for 50 boys and 50 girls in the Starehe Schools. The idea is that the money we will raise will be invested in the students who’ll live off the interest forever,” he said in a past interview.
His journey went viral late last year in November when he’d already covered 4,000 kilometres of the total stretch. At the new year, Gichohi had already arrived in Cape Town and was preparing for the final return leg to the Namanga border.
Upon his arrival in Kenyan territory on 16th January 2025, Gichohi was received by the Starehe Boy’s School band in a colorful celebration. The cyclist, despite feeling the extremes of the journey, was in high spirits as well.
“He arrived at the Namanga border today. He has been on a 16-day journey from South Africa and arrived in the country today,” said another Starehe alumnus, Kennedy Muendo.
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It was revealed that Ian Mwangi managed to raise more than Sh. 4.2 million during his trip. Professionally, he works as a graphic and web designer.
Despite not reaching his set amount, the journey traversing various countries was more than the experience he intended to have. Mwangi dutifully shared updates of his trip with his followers on social media. He recalled suffering challenges as part of the trip.
“In Egypt, we suffered heat wave attacks and harassment by authorities. We also endured a communication barrier because they did not use English. The traffic is crazy. The challenges in Egypt paled when compared to the fear of abduction in some parts of Ethiopia. I flew over Sudan because of its volatility,” he noted.
In the past, Mwangi has taken part in various cycling charity events since 2019. One of them include when he cycled more than 937 kilometres from Busia to Mombasa to raise money for needy students.
