Kenyan chef Maliha Mohammed recently made headlines by completing a remarkable home kitchen cooking marathon that lasted an astonishing 90 hours and 15 minutes, besting the previous record holder, Rickey Lumpkin II, from Los Angeles, California.
However, despite her culinary achievement, Maliha is yet to be officially recognised by the Guinness World Records (GWR).
Maliha took to her Instagram stories to explain the delay in her Guinness World Records recognition, addressing the queries from her eager supporters.
She explained that the process to verify her record involves three options, all of which come with their own set of challenges.
She outlined the three options available for expediting the verification process: waiting for the standard 12-week verification period, paying £10,500 (approximately Sh1.9 million) for an adjudicator to verify her on the spot, or paying $650( approximately Sh96K) for a quicker verification within five working days.
READ: Man goes blind after trying to set Guinness World Record for longest crying marathon
A cross-check by this writer confirmed that these were indeed the official verification procedures.
However, the only viable option for Maliha was to patiently wait for the 12-week verification process due to financial constraints.
She candidly shared her situation, saying, "Now here is where I come in; I don't have that type of money. Therefore, I will just wait for GWR to verify me in 12 weeks' time. Patience is key; I have no choice."
Maliha has sent her evidence to the Guinness World Records team and is now patiently hoping for good news.
Among the things the Guinness team will be looking at are the rules of the marathon which include:
- The chef must stand while cooking and is prohibited from sitting.
- The consumption of coffee, stimulants, or energy drinks to artificially enhance energy and strength is strictly forbidden.
- The chef must cook continuously without any sleep, working throughout the morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
- Only 5 minutes of rest per hour, resulting in an hour-long break every 12 hours.
- All the food prepared is shared with the attendees at the venue free of charge; not sold.
Chef Maliha Mohammed plans on breaking another Guinness Wolrd Record
Additionally, Maliha disclosed her future plans, indicating that she is preparing for her final marathon.
READ: How Kenyan chef Maliha plans to beat Hilda's 100-hour cooking record
She has her sights set on surpassing the longest cooking marathon record, which currently stands at over 100 hours and is held by Nigerian Chef Hilda Baci.
To achieve this extraordinary feat, she is seeking support and encouragement from her fans and the wider community.
Maliha is not new to attempting to break records she made her first attempt in 2019, preparing over 400 dishes at the Kenya Bay Beach Resort in Mombasa within 75 hours.
The record was however not recognized by the Guinness World Records.
Other Kenyans who have their names in the Guinness World Records
Should Maliha be successful in her endeavours, she will join the list of a few Kenyans who have their names in the Guinness World Records.
Other notable personalities who have done extraordinary things and etched their names in the books of history include Eliud Kipchoge, who earned the title of the fastest marathoner in history at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
Another Kenyan who is in the Guinness World Record Books is Kimani Maruga. At the age of 84, Maruge became the oldest person to ever embark on the journey of primary education. Others include Alikhan Kazia and Joseph Love.