Wekesa’s 'Play Green Squats Challenge' turns fitness into climate action

Kenyan Olympian and Shujaa rugby star Kevin Wekesa is once again proving that impact goes beyond the scoreboard after launching the Play Green Squats Challenge, a bold fusion of fitness, awareness, and environmental action aimed at growing Kenya’s green future.

The 20-day challenge, unveiled under Wekesa’s Play Green initiative, calls on Kenyans to perform 60 squats daily for 20 consecutive days, post their progress on social media, and nominate others to join the movement.

Each participant is encouraged to donate or support the planting of fruit trees in schools, with the campaign running from January 20 to June 14, 2026, culminating around the HSBC SVNS leg hosted in Kenya.

At the heart of the challenge is a simple but powerful goal: raise awareness while supporting the planting and nurturing of 600 fruit trees in schools across the country.

The top three schools’ rugby teams nationwide will earn invitations to attend HSBC SVNS Division 2 leg at Nyayo Stadium in February 2026, while Wekesa himself will visit the next five best-performing schools for tree-planting days, with students taking long-term ownership of tree care.

The Squats Challenge builds on the wider Play Green initiative, founded by Wekesa to promote eco-conscious behavior within the sports community.

The initiative rests on four pillars: tree planting, education, recycling, and ending the use of single-use plastics. Through the creation of “Shujaa Forests,” over 1,500 trees have already been planted, with school children contributing more than 2,300 trees while learning responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Wekesa has also led by example within elite sport. By introducing reusable aluminum water bottles to national team camps, Play Green has eliminated an estimated 144 single-use plastic bottles per training session, translating to nearly 1,000 bottles saved every week.

Recycling systems at matches and advocacy for green transport further reinforce the initiative’s reach beyond the pitch.

The global impact of Play Green has not gone unnoticed.

Wekesa’s work earned him a nomination for the 2025 International Olympic Committee Climate Action Awards, placing Kenyan rugby firmly on the global sustainability map.