Former Matthew Moss student conquers Mount Kilimanjaro

Haris Anwar Hafiz at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

A former Matthew Moss student recently conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Haris Anwar Hafiz, who was born in Rochdale but moved to Nairobi, Kenya, in 2020 at the age of 15, conquered Africa’s highest mountain in late July, where he performed the Muslim call to prayer ‘Adhaan’ at its summit.

Haris began preparing for the climb after conquering Mount Kenya in May 2021, the second highest peak in Africa with an elevation of 5,199m.

Training for the five-day expedition included altitude training camps for charity, as well as the 'President's Award Scheme'.

It was here when he set his next goal: “To hopefully climb Mount Kilimanjaro and recite the Muslim call to prayer (Adhaan) as close as I can to its peak."

Towards the end of July 2023, Haris and others set out to Tanzania and stayed at a hotel for one night, where they prepped their gear. The morning after, they reached the bottom of the mountain, entering from the 'Marangu Route' and were briefed about the game plan.

The trek lasted a total of nine days to climb and descend, with each day coming to an end with an average of 10 kilometres travelled.

The group reached the summit on the sixth day.

Haris always had ambitions of travelling and exploring, with one of his most favoured hobbies being hiking and climbing.

The brother of World Rally Championship driver Hamza Anwar, he now attends Nairobi Academy, where he found people with the same passions of hiking and decided to climb the mountains of East Africa, which has many high peaks.