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Former Cabinet Minister Cyrus Jirongo Dies in Highway Accident

NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Lugari Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister Cyrus Jirongo has died following a road accident on the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway on Saturday morning, bringing an end to a political career that spanned more than three decades.

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The accident occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m. near the Karai area in Naivasha, according to police reports. Rift Valley traffic enforcement officer Sarah Chumo confirmed that Jirongo’s vehicle collided with a 45-seater passenger bus, with the former legislator’s car sustaining severe damage. The 64-year-old politician was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several passengers in the bus were injured and were taken to nearby hospitals in Naivasha for treatment, police confirmed.

A Distinguished Political Career

Jirongo served as Minister for Rural Development during President Daniel arap Moi’s administration between March 2002 and December of the same year. His cabinet tenure came shortly before KANU lost power to the opposition NARC coalition in the 2002 general election.

He represented Lugari Constituency in Parliament from 1997 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2013. Before entering elective politics, Jirongo gained national prominence in the early 1990s as leader of the Youth for KANU ’92 movement, where his organizational skills in grassroots mobilization made him one of the most influential political operatives of that era.

Jirongo’s political ambitions extended to the presidency. In 2017, he contested for president under the United Democratic Party but garnered only 11,000 votes, representing 0.07 percent of the total votes cast. More recently, in 2022, he unsuccessfully ran for the Kakamega gubernatorial position under the UDP, losing to the Orange Democratic Movement’s Fernandes Barasa.

Recent Political Activity

Despite maintaining a lower profile since his 2022 election defeat, Jirongo remained engaged in local politics. He recently endorsed and campaigned for DAP-Kenya candidate Seth Panyako in the Malava by-elections held on November 27.

Tributes Pour In

News of Jirongo’s death prompted an outpouring of condolences from across Kenya’s political spectrum.

Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka mourned the politician, stating, “Death has robbed us of one of our greatest sons. Rest in peace, Honourable Cyrus Jirongo.”

Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary General Francis Atwoli wrote: “This morning, with a lot of shock and sadness, I have learnt of the passing on of Cyrus Jirongo, who was an asset to our community and Kenya. We loved him, but God loved him more. May your soul rest in peace!”

Personal Tragedy

Jirongo’s death marks the second major tragedy to strike his family this year, as he had earlier mourned the death of his daughter, Lorraine Elizabeth Khalamwa Jelagat Jirongo.

Born on March 21, 1961, in Lugari, Kakamega County, Jirongo leaves behind a legacy as one of Kenya’s most colorful and outspoken political figures, known for his long career in both politics and business.

Police have launched investigations to establish the full circumstances surrounding the accident.