Paxtu designated as a unique World Guiding and Scouting Heritage Site

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), and the County Government of Nyeri officially designated Paxtu, the final residence of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell and Nyeri Town, as a unique World Guiding and Scouting Heritage Site. 

This historic declaration was signed on 24 March during a special ceremony in Nyeri, Kenya attended by representatives of WOSM and WAGGGS, underscoring the importance of preserving Paxtu as a lasting tribute to the founders and the values they instilled in the Scouting and Guiding Movements. 

Located in Nyeri, Kenya at the foothills of Mount Kenya, Paxtu was the retirement home of Lord Baden-Powell, who spent much of his life in the country and the Africa region. Paxtu was built by Major Eric George Sherbrooke Walker, and has since become a landmark for Scouts and Guides worldwide to visit. Nearby, the gravesite of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, in St. Peter’s Cemetery, has also become a place of reflection for visitors paying tribute to the founders of the Scouting and Guiding Movements.

For decades, the Kenya Scout Association and Kenya Girl Guides Association have led efforts to preserve and promote these sites, including maintaining the Baden-Powell Scout and Guide Information Centre, and organising annual Founder’s Day and World Thinking Day celebrations which regularly attract tens of thousands of young people and visitors. 

Through this joint declaration, WAGGGS, World Scouting, and Nyeri County Government affirm their commitment to collaborate with the Kenya Scout Association and the Kenya Girl Guides Association to continue to maintain and protect Paxtu and the gravesite of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell as an unique heritage site for both Movements. The organisations and government also committed to maintain the Baden-Powell Scout and Guide Information Centre as an education hub offering exhibitions and programmes to celebrate the legacy of Lady and Lord Baden-Powell, and the worldwide impact of Guiding and Scouting. 

The signing ceremony featured the attendance and remarks of Daniël Corsen, Chairperson of the World Scout Committee, David Berg, Acting Secretary General of World Scouting, Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi, Chief scout of the Kenya Scout Association, Josephine Mwangi, WAGGGS World Board Member and Roselyne Adongo Ngure the Interim Chief Commissioner, Kenya Girl Guides Association.  

His Excellency Mutahi Kahiga, EGH, Governor of Nyeri, attended the vibrant event alongside his delegation, including Hon. Tarichia Diana Kendi, County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Tourism, Culture, and Cooperative Development, as well as members of the County Cabinet.

In his remarks, Governor Kahiga welcomed the designation of Paxtu as a heritage site and Nyeri Town as a Guiding and Scouting Town. He commended this initiative, noting that it reinforces the county’s existing commitments to supporting the growth of the Scouting Movement in partnership with Kenya Scouts. He also pledged its support to explore policies to safeguard the site’s historical significance for Kenya and the global Scouting and Guiding community.

The World Scout Committee, Daniël emphasised that while the ceremony honored Paxtu and Nyeri, it also celebrated Kenya Scout, one of the largest national Scout organisations, with over four million members. Roselyne expressed her profound joy and gratitude for this recognition, describing it as a long-overdue tribute to Paxtu and Nyeri’s enduring legacy in Guiding and Scouting.

The declaration reaffirms a dedication to honouring the legacy of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, ensuring that Paxtu remains a place of inspiration for future generations of Scouts and Guides.