David Mutiso, the first African architect in Kenya revealed the unknown inspiration behind the design of Nairobi's iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Mutiso disclosed that the 32-floor building was designed with a donkey's penis in mind.
The founder member of the Architectural Association of Kenya spoke in an interview on Citizen TV.
“The initial tower was inspired by a donkey’s penis,” he stated
He explained that he was first contacted by the late Tom Mboya, then KANU Secretary-General, as the party wanted to build a headquarters.
“They wanted to build a headquarter for Kanu. We started sketching, initially it was a simple four-storey building, it evolved with time.
"Every time we showed the President, he asked us to go higher and eventually we ended up with 17 floors,” he continued.
He further noted that he worked closely with Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik, a consultant architect contracted for the project.
Mutiso was educated at the University of Sheffield's School of Architecture from 1954 to 1959.
Between 1964 and 1974, he was the Chief Architect of the Ministry of Works.
