Nairobi — Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano on Sunday hailed the visit by American streaming sensation iShowSpeed as a major boost for Kenya's tourism profile, saying the influencer's Kenya tour had given Africa a rare opportunity to tell its own story to the world.
"Today we are hosting iShowSpeed, one of the greatest influencers on YouTube and in social media. We are very grateful to see that Kenyans have come out in their numbers, but this opportunity gives Africa a platform to showcase stories that [are] never told -- the beauty of Africa, the people, the culture and our hospitality," Miano said.
She added that the government had deliberately allowed Kenyans to shape the content creator's itinerary.
"We've had a very, very successful day with iShowSpeed and we let Kenyans determine his schedule. We [are] very happy to show that this [is] truly Magical Kenya -- the Origin of Wonder," she said.
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Miano's remarks came as Speed revealed that Kenya had delivered the biggest subscriber surge of his entire Africa tour -- and one of the biggest single-stream jumps in his YouTube career.
Whirlwind Nairobi takeover
Speaking to fans on Sunday as he exited Nairobi National Park, Speed said no country he had visited so far had matched Kenya's live growth.
"We're about to hit 47.9 million subs in this stream... no other country has done this. Kenya is number one," he said.
Within just two hours, the livestream pulled more than 180,000 concurrent viewers, pushing his channel from 47.72 million to 47.91 million subscribers -- a gain of nearly 200,000 in one broadcast. By the end of the day, the Kenya stop had delivered hundreds of thousands of new subscribers in real time.
Speed's Kenya visit was packed with viral moments from the start. He kicked off at Upper Hill School, where he met students, trained with the Kenya Rugby team and linked up with javelin world champion Julius Yego -- clips that spread rapidly across social media.
The tour then shifted to culture and cuisine: cooking ugali, shopping for a custom Kenyan jersey at Kenyatta Market, and sampling nyama choma, kachumbari and mukimo before heading to Carnivore Restaurant.
At Nairobi National Park, Speed fed giraffes and visited the Animal Orphanage in one of the stream's most-watched segments, before taking viewers inside a decorated "nganya" matatu for a rolling tour of Nairobi's street culture.
Fan frenzy, police escort
Wherever he went, crowds followed. Dozens -- and at times hundreds -- trailed his convoy, chanting his name and filming the moment.
The scale of the turnout forced authorities to provide a police escort and additional security.
Kenya is part of Speed's ambitious "Speed Does Africa" tour, expected to cover about 20 countries with daily livestreams focused on culture, food, sport and tourism.
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While he has already visited Angola, South Africa and Zambia, Kenya has so far drawn the biggest numbers and the loudest buzz.
Tourism officials believe the exposure from Speed's tens of millions of followers will translate into increased interest in Kenya as a destination, especially among Gen Z and millennial travelers.
For both Speed and Kenya's tourism marketers, the verdict is clear: Kenya didn't just show up -- it broke the internet.
