Police in Kisumu are investigating an incident in which a civil engineer died in a suspected case of suicide at the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) mall on Thursday morning, October 30, 2025.
Juma Guya, a roads company engineer based in Kisumu, committed suicide at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) offices, after he was allegedly slapped with a tax claim.
The CEO of Gogni Rajope, a renowned construction company in the region, jumped from the second floor of the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) mall, where KRA has its offices.
Witnesses say the late had gone to the taxman's offices for a discussion over business related tax issues but was in for a rude shock, after he was slapped with a Sh300 million tax demand.
According to guards manning the Mall’ s gates, he arrived on Thursday morning and parked his car - a V8 Land cruiser - at the mall’s car park, then handed his keys to a guard, saying his son would pick up the car, before proceeding into the building.
"After parking, he came back and handed over the car key, saying his son would pick up the vehicle,” said one of the guards, who requested not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Moments later, witnesses said the man was seen falling from the upper floor of the building. Police were alerted and arrived at the scene shortly after.
Authorities said preliminary findings suggest the man may have taken his own life, but investigations are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances leading to the incident.
In a brief statement, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) confirmed the occurrence, saying it took place within the LBDA Mall premises, where some of its offices are located.
"A middle-aged man jumped from the second floor of the building, sustained serious injuries and succumbed. KRA deeply regrets this incident and conveys heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” the statement read in part.
KRA further indicated that the matter has been reported to the relevant authorities and that it is cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies as investigations continue.
“The matter has been reported to the relevant authorities, and investigations are currently underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. KRA is fully cooperating with law enforcement officers to facilitate the ongoing investigations,” the authority said.
Kisumu Central Subcounty Police Commander confirmed that an inquiry file has been opened to determine the motive behind the incident and whether any external factors may have contributed to it.
“We are treating it as a sudden death pending investigations. The postmortem will help us understand more,” a senior police officer said.
