- Cyrus Jirongo’s close ally questioned witness behaviour and urged thorough investigations into the circumstances of his death
- Calistus Wafula revealed that plans for Jirongo to run for Nairobi gubernatorial race in 2027 were underway before his untimely demise
- He explained why Jirongo refused to join President William Ruto’s government despite the efforts to woo him into working with them
Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features in digital and print media.
The death of former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo has raised fresh questions about his political future and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Source: Facebook
Jirongo died after his vehicle collided with a Climax bus in the Karai area of Naivasha on Saturday, December 13, just hours after holding a meeting in Karen with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
Did Jirongo’s supporters question his death?
Speaking after the tragedy, his close ally Calistus Wafula questioned why passengers onboard the bus left the scene without giving statements.
He argued it was unusual for Luhya passengers travelling to Busia to leave their leader alone on the road without speaking about the incident.
He described Jirongo as a man of faith who never panicked in the face of threats and often drove himself.
“He believed in God and never thought another man could give him life,” Wafula added.
Wafula dismissed the initial police report and urged authorities to conduct deeper investigations.
According to him, the driver of the Climax bus should be arrested, adding that ‘it is clear something happened that we don’t know. We want the government to give the family a clear report of what transpired.’
Was Jirongo supposed to run for Nairobi gubernatorial race?
Wafula further revealed that Jirongo’s United Democratic Party (UDP) had planned to endorse him for the Nairobi gubernatorial race in 2027.
“I called him on December 5, and he said he would meet party officials and give them Christmas. We were to meet after December 12. We had agreed to persuade him to run in Nairobi because we lacked a candidate. Governor Johnson Sakaja has given us challenges, so we wanted someone serious to lead the county,” Wafula said.
On national politics, Wafula noted that Jirongo did not oppose the government but also did not support its policies.
“He had no personal issues with President William Ruto. He has not been opposing the government and they have been calling him to agree to work together with them but he could not kneel down to back a government he believed was performing poorly,” he said.
What did Climax bus driver say after Jirongo’s death?
Meanwhile, Tirus Kamau, the bus driver, said the late former MP was travelling toward Nairobi and had approached a section where a minor traffic jam had formed.
Source: Facebook
According to him, the politician attempted to overtake another vehicle and swerved into the bus’s lane, leading to the crash.
Kamau, who has over eight years of driving experience, noted that he had 65 passengers on board, while the Jirongo was alone in the car.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
