This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
Published on September 1, 2019, the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) mall in Kisumu has been hit by a fresh crisis after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) withdrew its interest in occupying the high-potential shopping complex.
The mall, at the centre of a protracted graft probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), has been struggling to find tenants for more than two years.
LBDA chairman Odoyo Owidi and acting managing director Raymond Omollo confirmed that KRA had already pulled out of a deal to occupy the mall, citing unclear circumstances.
According to the duo, the deal had been in its final stages before KRA pulled out, leaving the management of the authority facing tough questions over their failure to find tenants.
The Senate Committee on Devolution, led by Nderitu Kinyua, toured the mall to establish why the mega project is struggling to find tenants as well as the fate of a loan that was taken to construct it.
LBDA management has heaped blame on the EACC and the Kenya National Highway Authority, claiming they have failed to complete expansion of the Kisumu-Kakamega Road, thus blocking easy access to the complex.
LBDA chairman Odoyo Owidi stated, “KRA was to come here but the deal is almost off. We held meetings with government officials but we do not know what has happened,”
