Nyeri activates Global Scout, Guide City Status, deepening Kenya–Korea engagement

Nyeri County has activated the Guide and Scout City of the World status, highlighting new avenues for Kenya–Korea cooperation in tourism, culture, youth development and people-to-people engagement.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Kenya, Kang Hyung-shik, joined Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga for the activation ceremony that is coinsiding with the World Tourism Day 2026.

The event highlighted Nyeri’s longstanding association with the global Scout Movement and its potential to connect the County with international youth, cultural and tourism networks.

Nyeri’s scouting heritage is closely linked to Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement, who spent his final years in the county. His former home, Paxtu, at the historic Outspan Hotel, and his gravesite remain important landmarks of the movement’s heritage.

In March 2025, the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) formally designated Nyeri County as the Official Global Guide and Scout City of the World, while the Paxtu Museum was designated an official World Girl Guides and Scouts Heritage Site.

Scouting was introduced in Kenya in 1908, giving the movement an 118-year history in the country by 2026. Governor Kahiga said the activation was intended to give international visibility to a heritage Nyeri has carried for generations.

“We are not applying or auditioning to become the Scout and Guide City. We already are the Scout and Guide City of the world. We are simply activating what already exists,” he said.

According to figures cited by Governor Kahiga, the global Scout Movement has about 60 million members across 170 countries. The network provides an established international platform for heritage tourism, youth exchanges, international jamborees, leadership programmes and people-to-people connections.

The designation also carries a distinctive Kenya–Korea dimension through the World Scouts Parliamentary Union (WSPU). Korea is among the Union’s founding countries, with its founding meeting held in Seoul in 1990 and its formal launch there in 1991. Kenyan parliamentarians participated in the founding process alongside their Korean counterparts.

The Kenya–Korea connection through the WSPU has continued through parliamentary and scouting exchanges, including the WSPU African Conference held in Nyeri in 2023 and the 11th WSPU General Assembly hosted by Kenya in 2025.

Through parliamentary diplomacy, the WSPU provides an additional channel for Kenyan and Korean legislators to engage on youth development, education, culture and community service, complementing formal government-to-government relations.

Ambassador Kang said the shared scouting heritage could provide a stronger foundation for cooperation between Korea and Nyeri.

“I believe that the Scout Movement can play an even greater role in building bridges between Korea and Nyeri in the years ahead,” he said.

He highlighted opportunities in tourism and culture, education and agriculture, trade and investment, and technology, while expressing hope that more Koreans would visit Nyeri to experience its history, nature and culture.

The Ambassador’s remarks followed Governor Kahiga’s visit to Korea in August, where cooperation, including the proposed Baden-Powell Center of Excellence, was discussed.

The Governor has allocated 10 acres for the Centre under a Memorandum of Understanding with WSPU-Kenya. The proposed facility is expected to support scout tourism and cultural heritage, youth leadership, innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship.

Governor Kahiga also emphasised the role of digital innovation in promoting Nyeri’s heritage internationally.

“We cannot sell 21st-century tourism experiences using 20th-century tools. Nyeri will use digital innovations to share our heritage with the world,” he said.

Ambassador Kang said Korea could contribute its experience and technology while helping showcase Nyeri’s potential to audiences in Korea.

The ceremony also unveiled Nyeri’s official guide and Scout City logo following a public competition that attracted 103 submissions.

Grace Michuki was appointed Nyeri Guide and Scout City Ambassador to promote the county’s scouting heritage, mobilise partnerships and advance youth leadership and community service.

The activation brings together Nyeri’s Baden-Powell heritage, Kenya’s longstanding scouting tradition and the Kenya–Korea links sustained through the WSPU, creating a platform for wider cooperation in tourism, culture and youth engagement.

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