The World Scout Parliamentary Union (WSPU), Kenya Scouts Association together with the Kenya Girl Guides Association has kicked off restoration of iconic scouts’ clock tower located opposite Nyeri Post Office.

This follows an uproar by scouting enthusiasts and the public after a Nyeri business owner turned the gazetted monument into advertising platform.

Local scouts and members of the WPSU spent the better part of the weekend removing the purple and white paint, which had been used by the beauty spa to advertise their services. They also cleared garbage from the area surrounding the clock.

“A meeting between the World Scouts Bureau, Kenya Scouts Association, Kenya Girl Guides Association and WSPU was held and we came-up with strategies of restoring and bringing back the glory of scouting sites in Nyeri, since it has been named as the global scouting of the world. So we are here to clean-up this place and restore the monument to its former glory,” said the Executive Director of WSPU Poppins Misoi.

The clock is estimated to be 87 years old. It is believed to have been designed by the Founder of the Scouting Movement Lord Baden Powell between 1936 and 1937 after he settled in Kenya. It is situated about 1.5 kilometres from Powell’s final home, the Paxtu and about 400 metres from his grave.

The clock was constructed by Sehmi Sign and was to be used by travellers to check time. The tower also had a water tap where the travellers would quench their thirst before proceeding with their journey. For scouts, it represents key values such as punctuality and service to humanity.

“This is not only to reclaim the monument, but to ensure every person is able to recognise what it stands for. We will put-up a plaque and a small story about the tower so like any other historical monument even this tower will have its story behind its existence,” stated Misoi.

Misoi said that they are also partnering with the Nyeri County Department of Gender and Social Services  to preserve the clock and other scouting monuments, including the Paxtu Museum, the Lord Baden-Powell Gravesite-Memorial and Entertainment Park, which were recently designated as the world’s Girl Guides and Scouts Heritage Site. 

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Daisy Mwanika and Christine Mumbi