Former Lugari Member of Parliament and veteran politician Cyrus Jirongo, aged 64 years, has died following a fatal road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway.
Jirongo died after the Mercedes-Benz vehicle he was driving collided head-on with an oncoming bus in Karai area, few kilometres from Naivasha town.
The accident occurred at 3.00 a.m. while he was travelling back to Nairobi after attending a meeting in Naivasha and was alone in the vehicle at the time.
Jirongo is said to have joined the highway from a petrol station when he unsuccessfully attempted to overtake few vehicles leading to a head-on crash with an oncoming Climax company bus.
The fatal accident which saw his car severely damaged left Jirongo trapped in the wreckage for more than an hour before police arrived at the scene.
Jirongo’s body was transferred to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi where the family and members of the public are expected to view the deceased while the car wreckage was moved to Naivasha police station as more investigations continue.
The bus involved in the accident, belonging to Climax Bus company, was heading to Western Kenya from Nairobi with 65 passengers on board. No injuries were reported among those in the bus.
The bus driver, Tiras Kamau said the speeding Mercedes car, which tried to overtake several cars but failed left him with no alternative route to avoid the collision.
“I had passengers on board and if I had swerved off the road, I would have killed all of them and in seconds, we ended up in a head-on collision with the car carrying the politician,” Kamau said.
He added that none of the bus passengers was injured, but fingered the deceased for allegedly joining the highway without ensuring it was safe to do so.
Naivasha DCIO Isaac Kiama confirmed the incident, stating that Jirongo sustained severe head injuries and died at the scene.
Kiama said Jirongo’s body was initially taken to Naivasha Sub-County Hospital before being transferred to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi.
“There was an accident involving a personal car and a bus along the highway, and in the process, we lost former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo,” Kiama said.
Jirongo was a prominent businessman and politician who rose to national prominence in the 1990s and was widely known for his role as a key youth mobiliser and financier of the Youth for KANU ’92 movement, which supported former President Daniel arap Moi’s re-election campaign.
He served as Member of Parliament for Lugari Constituency from 1997 to 2002 and later from 2008 to 2013 and held Cabinet positions during the Moi administration, including a stint as rural development minister.
Jirongo also unsuccessfully ran for presidency during the 2017 General Elections under the United Democratic Party and would later join the Azimio la Umoja Coalition ahead of 2022 elections.
He was also involved in several business ventures and remained an influential political figure, particularly in Western Kenya and was expected to make more manoeuvres in the upcoming elections.
His death marks the end of a colourful and controversial political career that spanned decades and left a significant imprint on Kenya’s political landscape.
President William Ruto led a host of senior politicians who mourned Jirongo as a relentless go-getter, a seasoned businessman, and a consummate politician who refused to be defined, let alone defeated, by life’s challenges.
The president described Jirongo as a bold, enlightened fighter who had left an indelible mark on country’s political landscape.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi eulogised Jirongo as a leader whose influence helped shape the country’s politics, business landscape and the national story for decades.
“A dynamic politician, he captured national attention in the early 90s when, at a remarkably young age, he helped steer the YK ’92 movement during the late President Moi’s re-election campaign in the early multiparty era,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi said Jirongo’s developments in Hazina Estate, South B, and Saika Estate in Kayole stand as testament to his ambition to reshape urban living, with expansive plans for housing, amenities and community growth.
By Erastus Gichohi
