In just the first half of 2025, 444,536 people have died by suicide globally. An estimated 70 to 80 percent were male. Behind the statistics lies a sobering truth: we are losing men, often silently and often suddenly, and the tech world, particularly in Africa, is not exempt.
This month marks one year since the deaths of two influential African tech leaders, Nick Imudia and Keith Makori. They were not just executives. They were builders, visionaries, and mentors. Their suicides shook the African startup ecosystem to its core, and yet, as we enter the second half of 2025, too little has changed.
What Happened in 2024
In June 2024, Nick Imudia, former CEO of Konga and at the time CEO of D.light Kenya, died by suicide in Lagos. Just weeks later, Keith Makori, co-founder and CFO of Kenya’s Kotani Pay, died by suicide in Kikuyu. Both men jumped from the balconies of their homes.
Both men were deeply embedded in the continent’s most promising sectors: e-commerce, fintech, and energy. They were leading companies that had secured millions in funding. On the outside, they were success stories.
On the inside, it seems they were suffering in silence.
The Loneliness at the Top
Being a founder is often sold as a badge of honour. But the truth is grimmer. For male tech founders, especially in Africa:
- There is no blueprint for emotional survival
Vulnerability is rarely modelled. Therapy is stigmatised. The weight of leadership is internalised. - They are expected to be superhuman
Fundraise like a boss. Build through macroeconomic collapse. Pay staff from your own savings. Smile through it all. - There is no room to fall apart
Male founders are told to be the strong ones for their teams, their investors, their families. That strength becomes a prison.
Makori had just helped Kotani Pay close a $2 million pre-seed round. Imudia had scaled two pan-African ventures. These were men at the peak of external success and the brink of internal despair.
2025 Audit
The emotional aftermath of these deaths created brief waves of reckoning in tech circles. Panels were hosted. Hashtags trended. People posted tributes. But structural change has been scarce.
We are still not:
- Embedding mental health support in founder accelerators or pitch decks
- Asking LPs and VCs to fund founder therapy as seriously as they fund due diligence
- Encouraging male founders to say “I need help” before it’s too late
If anything, the pressure has grown. Funding is tighter. Expectations are higher. And the same toxic silence lingers in every WhatsApp group, investor Zoom call, and lonely midnight desk.
What Needs to Happen Next
- Investors: Start Including Founder Wellness in the Term Sheet
Allocate funds for mental health support. Include therapy, retreats, and digital care as startup essentials. - Ecosystem Builders: Create Safe Spaces for Founder Vulnerability
Not Twitter threads. Real, facilitated, founder-only support rooms. - Media and Mentorship: Normalise Talking About Emotional Pain
Let us publish founder stories that include the mental cost of building, not just the milestone moments. - Male Founders: Ask For Help Before It Is Too Late
Strength is not silence. Your life matters more than your startup’s runway. - Accelerators and Hubs: Build Anonymous Check-in Systems
Not everyone will speak publicly. Create private ways for people to flag burnout before it spirals.
A Personal Note to the Brothers Building
You are not weak for needing rest. You are not failing because you are overwhelmed. This continent needs your mind, yes, but it needs your heart and your wholeness more.
You do not have to die to be heard.
In Memory: Nick Imudia and Keith Makori
One year later, your names are not forgotten. Your stories are still shaping how we talk about pain in this ecosystem. But remembrance is not enough. We must build a better way forward, one that values the human behind the hustle.
If you are struggling or feel alone, please reach out to someone. A friend. A therapist. A stranger. You matter. Your life is not a burden
This article was rewritten with the aid of AI
At Techsoma, we embrace AI and understand our role in providing context, driving narrative and changing culture.
