Conrad Njeru Karukenya shows off his strength at Riverside Studios in London on May 12, 2012 . His extraordinary talent has taken him all over the world. PHOTO | CORRESPONDENT NATION MEDIA GROUPBy Kinuthia Mburu
We watched in disbelief as he got up, unscathed, after being run over by a Land Rover. We watched with awe as he carried eight huge men without breaking a sweat, and our eyes popped out in amazement when he lifted a crate of beer with his teeth.
This is Kenya’s strongest man, Conrad Njeru Karukenya, better known as Tiger Power, who we caught up with at Kenyatta University, where he is studying Early Childhood Education.
But why would a 68-year-old man who made a career from breaking six-inch nails be studying such a course?
“My next project is to work with children, to help them tap and nurture their talents from an early age. I figured that I can only do this if I understand how a child’s mind develops,” he says.
The problem with our education system, he says, is that we focus too much on academics and forget that every child has a talent or special ability that can benefit them later.
“Many talents are either lost or discovered much later in life when they are of little or no benefit because no effort was made to discover them.”
He said he discovered his extraordinary strength by accident.
“I discovered my ability while transporting my father’s coffee beans to the factory,” he says.
He was guiding an ox-cart with 2.1 tonnes of coffee when the brakes failed. “We were going downhill, and out of fear that the cart would plunge into the river ahead, I guided it to the roadside so that I could see where the problem was,” he says.
He was lying on his back, his lower body under the cart as he fixed the left wheel when the oxen unexpectedly pulled away. Miraculously, even though the cart ran over his abdomen, he was not hurt. He was 18.
When he narrated the incident to his friends, they all thought he was making it up, and he did not blame them.
“It would be hard to believe anyone can survive being run over by a cart weighing 2,100 kilogrammes.”
The incident inspired him to start working out and holding shows in schools that tested his strength.
The rest, as they say, is history, and his shows have taken him all the world.
“I am particularly proud of my May 2012 performance at the Super Human competition in the UK where I came second,” he says. The purpose of the competition was to identify people with unique, super human abilities.
His abilities have not gone unrecognised here. In 2008, he received a Head of State Commendation for his 48 years of dedicated weightlifting.
Even though he is just two years shy of 70, Tiger Power continues to hold his exerting signature performances in schools and other social places, though not as regularly as before.
So, what does it take to keep his body in top shape?
“I have a mini-gym at home and I work out daily — I also watch what I eat,” he says.
Tiger Power often wakes up at 3.30am, has a cup of amaranth (terere) porridge before beginning his workout. His exercises start from 4am to 6am.
He does not drink alcohol or smoke, and his diet consists of mainly proteins and carbohydrates.
For breakfast, he has an egg, as well as sorghum, finger millet and amaranth porridge.
They have more nutrients than meat or milk, he advises.
For lunch and supper, he eats ugali, chapati or rice with lots of vegetables.
“I always have my lunch and supper with non-acidic fruits, and strictly keep away from modified food — I follow a strict organic diet.”
Tiger, who has a diploma in physical fitness, hopes to go into partnership with the Ministry of Education to develop a physical training programme for schools.
This, he says, will make it possible to identify children with talent that can transform them into outstanding sportsmen and women, besides educating them about the importance of a healthy, strong body.
When we met him for the interview, he had just completed an examination. Most of his classmates are young enough to be his children, but he says he feels comfortable among them and enjoys the experience.
“They find me fascinating, but they are respectful, and some even consider me a role model,” he says.
Tiger is married with three children — two daughters and a son.
“My last born is a student at the University of Nairobi where he is studying for a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication.
His wife teaches at Kilimambogo Teachers Training College while his two daughters, who he describes as “career women”, are married.
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