Lawyer falls to his death in Mombasa

A Mombasa lawyer on Wednesday fell to his death from the ninth floor of the Uhuru na Kazi Building, in what the police suspect to be suicide.

Sammy Anyazwa, 69, allegedly jumped through the window. 

He is said to have visited the Mombasa Land Registry on the eighth floor mid-morning and after spending almost an hour there, came out furious and climbed upstairs while making some phone calls.

Mombasa Urban police boss Eliud Arumbi said the circumstances leading to the Anyazwa and Company Advocates partner taking his life have not been established. He said no suicide note was recovered.

“We have commenced investigations to establish why the counsel committed suicide,” Arumbi said. 

Mombasa Law Society of Kenya chairman Mathew Nyabena said Anyazwa had gone to the Land Registry for transactions on his piece of land located at Mtwapa area of Kilifi.

“I was among those who picked the body from the scene. On the floor where his lifeless body fell, there were documents of the said land. He died on the spot after suffering severe head injuries,” said Nyabena.

He demanded that police carry out thorough investigations to establish if there was any foul play.

“We don’t want to say its suicide, we have asked police to conduct investigations to establish circumstances leading to the falling,” said Nyabena. 

Nyabena described him as a very humble, honest lawyer who has mentored many of leading legal minds in the country.

However, unconfirmed reports indicates that the lawyer was shocked to find his land had been transferred to a third party without his knowledge.

“We cannot verify this but we will do a search on the piece of land he was following up so that we get to understand if this could be the reason why he died,” he added. 

His body was taken at Pandya Memorial Hospital mortuary where relatives and colleagues thronged after learning of his death.