When I first came to Nairobi, my first job was as a data entry clerk at a little stall owned by a friend of my mom’s in a place called Universal Data Center (or “Kenya” Data Center, I forget). It was 8hrs a day staring at a computer screen typing up hand written notes from Sudanese delegation meetings. It’s been over 10 years since that. A couple of months ago I was commissioned to take photos of the renovations done to the building by Sayani Investments.

The hallways are now spaced out and opened up. When I worked there, the building was compartmentalized into as many stalls as could rationally fit on any one hallway. We literally were packed in there like sardines.

It is interesting to now see that it is a proper commercial building housing a digital media school, a popular phone brand care center (my phone brand to be exact), a bank and many other larger commercial operations.

Even the stare case looks fancy compared to when I was there. With marble floors and a clean spiral metal banister all the way down. Truth be told, I don’t even remember stairs from when I worked there. I bet you anything there were stalls in the stair hallways too. That used to be a thing in Nairobi. These days you can find a lot more rational use of space in buildings.

Even the outside back has been cleaned up and well fitted with plenty of water storage. Sayani did an amazing job on this building. I know, I used to work here when it wasn’t a great place to work!