Reclusive tycoon Nipool Shah is the founder and owner of Dunhill Consulting, a construction and engineering firm behind the iconic Dunhill Towers along Waiyaki Way in Westlands, Nairobi.
Shah founded Dunhill Consulting in 2003 to deal in commercial property management as well as office and residential property sales.
According to a report by Business Daily, Nipool Shah’s portfolio surpassed the Ksh7 billion mark in 2016, with warehousing portfolio well over 2.5 million square feet.
At Dunhill Consulting, Nipool Shah is responsible for creating in-house developments either for sale or as complete turn projects (build, own and operate) for consortiums.
Dunhill Consulting’s sister company Dunhill Africa Valuations Ltd provides
valuation and survey services and is on the panel of several banks in Kenya.
With a staff complement of over 100 people including qualified valuers, registered estate agents, qualified accountants and a professional sales team of over 20 the company serves clients from individual units to mixed use developments.
Dunhill Consulting’s professional expertise is engaged by a broad range of organizations, including multinational corporations, local developers, high net worth individuals, quasi government organizations and not for profit institutions.
The company’s strength is reflected by its position in the market. In 2019the firm achieved more than Ksh2 billion in properties sold (excluding sales of land/plots). It is the number one go-to company for the sale of commercial and residential properties in the greater Westlands area.
Dunhill Consulting provides building management services to over 20 commercial buildings of 1.2m square feet and large apartment complexes of over 600 units. The firm’s annual collection on behalf of clients for rent and service charge averages Ksh2 billion per year.
The firm manages funds on behalf of clients of over Ksh130m, kept in current and fixed
deposits.
Dunhill Towers was awarded a 5-star green status in 2017 following an appraisal by the World Green Building Council, a network of national green building councils in over 90 countries.
The 21-storey dedicated the basement, ground floor, and six extra floors to tenants parking space. The building boasts three backup generators with a combined production of 1.2 MW and 6 high-speed lifts.
Dunhill Towers High Profile Tenants
On November 5, 2018, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Kenya relocated its headquarters to Dunhill Towers citing congestion in its former Upper Hill location.
Then EU Delegation deputy ambassador Bruno Pozzi said Dunhill Towers met its stringent needs having worked with the property developer during its construction.
“EU has been searching for appropriate office space that meet our stringent needs for security, ambience, convenience, amenities, and parking for a number of years. We thank the developers having worked with us to meet all our requirements,” he said.
Dunhill project director Bharat Doshi welcomed the EU team saying Westlands sub-county was fast becoming the new hub for many businesses due to accessibility.
He said EU will enjoy three parking slots per 1,000 square feet with about 85 parking slots reserved for visitors.
“With the EU leasing half the building we already have several enquires for the remaining space and expect to fully lease the building by Q12019,” said Mr Doshi.
On March 24, 2022, Microsoft opened its Africa Development Centre (ADC) facility at Dunhill Towers in a launch graced by, among others, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Joy Chik and then-ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru.
Microsoft ADC Nairobi Managing Director Jack Ngare disclosed that the facility in Nairobi had 450 full-time employees. It will serve the East African region and houses engineering, design, research, and innovation teams.
“The facility will continue our efforts towards training, equipping and hiring engineering talent in Kenya and Africa as whole to contribute to the development of Microsoft products that are in use by over 1 billion devices and empowering millions of users and organizations across the world to do more,” Ngare stated.
The facility was built in line with Microsoft’s global standards as it looks to become carbon negative by 2030. It includes self-heating windows, a mini solar plant to power the facility and a water treatment facility to recycle and purify the water.
The facility also plays host to Microsoft Garage, an incubation hub intended to help scale African innovations. Microsoft employees, interns, schools, and community groups will be able to collaborate to launch products and learn various skills.
