Kenyan lecturer wins 15-day Asian trip after topping Old Mutual wellbeing challenge

Wangari Mutuku beat 835 rivals not through luck but through consistent, measurable improvement in how she lives

By Grace Wanja

When Wangari Mutuku downloaded the Old Mutual Thrive app, she was not chasing a prize. She wanted to keep better track of her health. Three weeks later, the 29-year-old lecturer had outperformed 835 other participants in a national wellbeing challenge and earned herself a fully sponsored 15-day trip across Thailand, Singapore, Bali and Malaysia.

Her win, announced in Nairobi yesterday, was the result of recording the greatest measurable improvement in overall wellbeing during the Old Mutual Thrive Your Way to Asia challenge, which ran from 1 to 23 August 2026. There was no lottery, no panel selection and no social media vote. The winner was determined purely by data — specifically, by who improved most across physical activity, sleep consistency, sedentary time and financial wellbeing engagement during the challenge period.

That distinction matters. In a country where competition prizes frequently go to the well-connected or the fortunate, Mutuku’s win was earned through discipline and intentionality, one step and one decision at a time.

The challenge attracted 836 participants and was built around the Old Mutual Thrive platform, a digital wellbeing tool that allows users to monitor physical activity, nutrition and financial health in a single application, with smartwatch connectivity for seamless tracking. Participants were encouraged to engage with the platform’s Financial Wellbeing Assessment and Money Personality Quiz alongside their physical wellness targets — reflecting Old Mutual’s positioning of health and financial security as interconnected rather than separate concerns.

For Mutuku, the platform’s integrated approach was precisely its appeal. “I liked being able to see my physical activity, nutrition and financial wellbeing in one place,” she said. “Connecting my smartwatch made tracking my progress easier. The challenge made me more conscious of what I eat and how it affects my physical health. I’ve also started swimming alongside running.”

Her enthusiasm for the coming trip is palpable. “I’m excited to explore new places and experience running and exercising in different climates,” she added — a line that says something about the kind of person who wins a challenge like this. She is not planning to rest on arrival. She is planning to keep moving.

Janet Waiyaki, Head of Thrive and Ecosystem at Old Mutual, said Mutuku’s achievement illustrated what the programme is designed to produce. “What excites us most is not the destination itself, but what it took to get there. Wangari made consistent, intentional improvements to her daily habits and wellbeing, and her achievement demonstrates what is possible when people commit to positive change.”

Waiyaki added that the challenge was built on a deliberate combination of behavioural science, technology and meaningful incentives — an acknowledgement that lasting habit change requires more than good intentions. It requires structures that make healthy choices easier to sustain and visible enough to motivate continued effort.

The travel prize itself is comprehensive. Mutuku’s package covers return flights, accommodation, airport transfers, visa facilitation and full itinerary coordination across all four Asian destinations — a reward that, in both financial and experiential terms, reflects the seriousness of what she achieved.

The challenge was organised in partnership with Wavu Travels, for whom this marks the third international travel award facilitated through the collaboration with Old Mutual Thrive in 2026. Winnie Muthoga, Director of Wavu Travels, described travel as a fitting vehicle for recognising personal achievement. “Travel creates memories, broadens perspectives and inspires new possibilities. Through our partnership with Old Mutual Thrive, we are connecting the excitement of discovering new destinations with the personal achievement of improving one’s wellbeing. We are delighted to celebrate Wangari’s success and be part of a journey that recognises commitment, discipline and growth.”

The collective statistics from the challenge offer a striking picture of what 836 people committed to self-improvement can produce when given the right tools and motivation. Participants logged 70.7 million steps between them — approximately 53,000 kilometres, or roughly 1.3 times the circumference of the earth. They recorded 4,919 hours of exercise. Some 514 participants achieved 10,000 or more steps on at least one day, while 45 per cent averaged at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. Half of all participants averaged seven to nine hours of sleep per night — a figure that public health professionals would consider a meaningful outcome in its own right.

Old Mutual Thrive now counts more than 270,000 registered users in Kenya, a number that reflects growing appetite among Kenyans for digital tools that connect physical wellness with financial awareness. The platform continues to expand its challenge offerings, positioning itself as a space where behavioural change is not just encouraged but measured, rewarded and celebrated.

For Mutuku, the journey to Asia is the visible reward. The habits she built to get there are the ones that will outlast the trip.

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