A Kenyan retired teacher James Kagambi ‘KG’ as popularly known is set for a trip to Mt Everest, in March 2022, to rewrite history as the first all-Black Mountaineering Expedition team to reach the summit of Mt Everest.
Kagambi -60, who began his career in mountain climbing in 1987, had previously worked as a school teacher, sports coach and traditional Africa music tutor.
Since the first person climbed onto the summit in 1953, over 10,000 have set crampons atop the mountain, which is the world’s tallest, but less than 10 of them are black.
Speaking to KNA in Nyeri town, Kagambi said he will be in a team of ten other members whom together intend to make history.
Kagambi is calling on well-wishers to volunteer and sponsor the team to enable them climb the mountain adding that it’s not easy but they are determined to make it possible.
“Let’s put a Kenyan on Mt Everest,” added Kagambi.
Other climbers in the team are Abby Dione, Manoah Ainu, Eddie Tayler, Thomas Moore, Fred Campbell, Demon Mullens and Rosemary Saal.
He said they need to raise USD 30,000 to achieve the mission and put our beloved country on the map of Everest’s greats.
Kagambi added that he was honoured to lead the team to hoist the Kenyan flag at the highest peak in Kenya Batian celebrating 50 years of independence. He regularly trains rescue teams for Mt Kenya, Mt Kilimanjaro and the Rwenzoris.
When he joined the career, he rose to the rank of senior mountaineering instructor at National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), a non-profit outdoor school.
In Kenya, he works as a guide of the mountain trips to Mount Kenya and the Rwenzoris in Uganda. In his tutoring career, he tapped into his experience as a school teacher to work as a guide.
By Beth Ndirangu
