Sardar Gurdit Singh Nayer is not a familiar name to many; however, he played a key role in erecting one of the most iconic buildings in Nairobi's CBD-the Nayer Building, now known as Kipande House, which houses Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) on Kenyatta Avenue.
Born in 1857, Nayer was a bank cashier at the Bank of India before setting sail for East Africa.
In 1889, at the age of 32, Nayer left his homeland in Punjab, India, and embarked on a 45-day journey across the Indian Ocean, eventually docking in Mombasa in search of business opportunities.
Nayer arrived in Kenya at a time when British colonists were about to begin construction of the 'Lunatic Line'-a railway stretching across the colony from Mombasa to Port Florence, now known as Kisumu.
