The Old PC’s Office is in good stoned company as on the opposite side of Kenyatta Avenue stands its age mate, Kipande House — originally a warehouse used by coolies.

Designed by Gurdit Singh, the one-storey affair that still sports its ubiquitous quirky tower was Kenya’s tallest building until City Hall was opened in 1935, starring a 165ft tower clock.

Kipande House now houses the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)… as is the case with all historical buildings on Kenyatta Avenue.

It has maintained its timeless looks, ageing gracefully since KCB — which started in Zanzibar as the National Bank of India in 1895 — commissioned its architect Derek Fialt to restore it, which accounts for its hand-dressed masonry finish. Triad Architects worked the interiors in 2003.

As its name suggests, Kipande House was where Africans acquired their ID cards (kipande) during the colonial period.

The IDs were hang around the neck, like cowbells. So were the Indian rupee coins — then Kenya’s official currency — with holes at the centre so they could be threaded on a cord and suspended around the neck since Africans mostly wore shukas.



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