- Fresh questions have emerged over the death of former Lugari MP and ex-Cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo after a new eyewitness account surfaced
- A petrol station security guard’s testimony has challenged the bus driver’s version of events in the fatal Nairobi–Nakuru Highway crash
- Jirongo died on the spot following a head-on collision with a Climax Coach bus at Karai in Naivasha Sub-county in the early hours of December 13
- The security guard insisted the road was calm and empty moments before the accident, contradicting claims of traffic pressure
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
New questions have continued to surround the death of former Lugari MP and ex-Cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo.
Source: Youtube
This is after a petrol station security guard gave a new account that challenges earlier explanations by the driver of the bus in the fatal crash.
Jirongo, 64, died on the spot following a head-on collision between his Mercedes-Benz saloon car and a Climax Coach bus along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway at Karai area in Naivasha Sub-county at around 3am on Saturday, December 13.
At the centre of the latest twist is Ephraim Cheptek, a security guard who was on duty at a petrol station near the crash scene on the night Jirongo died.
Cheptek’s account differs from that of the Climax Coach bus driver, who said Jirongo had just left a petrol station and entered his lane in an attempt to avoid traffic heading towards Nairobi.
The bus driver said he tried to avoid the crash but feared losing control of the bus, which was carrying 65 passengers travelling from Nairobi to Busia.
Was the road calm before Jirongo’s crash?
Cheptek revealed that he was alert at the time and witnessed the former MP’s movements shortly before the collision, insisting the situation was unusual.
“At that time, when he was hit, I was the only police officer who was still alert and I witnessed what happened. When he entered, he moved in slowly, then when he got near the fuel, he suddenly sped up slightly again. So the way he entered was not normal; it was completely different,” Cheptek said.
According to the guard, the road was calm and empty moments before the crash, contradicting claims by the Climax bus driver that traffic conditions influenced Jirongo’s actions.
He maintained that no vehicle was trailing the former MP and that there was no traffic in either direction until after the collision occurred.
“If you looked at the road, it was calm. For that short period, the road was quiet, there was no traffic flow, and only that one vehicle came. It was only after the incident that other vehicles arrived and a traffic jam started because the speed of cars had slowed down. However, when he arrived, there was no other vehicle accompanying him. It was just him, and him alone,” Cheptek narrated.
What led to the head-on collision involving Jirongo?
Cheptek explained that Jirongo drove into the petrol station from the Nairobi direction and slowed down in a manner that suggested he intended to refuel.
However, he never stopped, adding that, instead, the car proceeded straight through the station towards the exit leading back to the highway.
“It came here as if it wanted to get fuel, then it just went on and passed through like that, speeding off. We were there; I was standing here at the car wash,” he said.
The guard further claims that at the petrol station exit, Jirongo did not pause or yield before rejoining the highway.
He claims that the former MP accelerated and drove directly into the lane of an oncoming bus, leading to a head-on collision.
“When it reached here, it moved towards that side of the road and went straight on. At that point it was moving at a moderate speed, not very fast. It slowed down and I thought he wanted to refuel. But then he suddenly accelerated, and when he reached here at the petrol station exit, he did not stop even for a moment,” Cheptek stated.
Source: Twitter
He added that the impact was severe, pushing Jirongo’s car an estimated 80 to 100 metres from the point of collision.
The guard revealed that by the time people rushed to the scene, the former lawmaker was already dead.
“He made a U-turn here. As he did so, the bus was approaching, coming this way, and they met right here and collided head-on. From there, the vehicle spun all the way to that point,” he said, pointing out where the car eventually landed.
Inside Jirongo’s conflicting final movements
As earlier reported, police records indicate that Jirongo was driving a Mercedes-Benz, registration number KCZ 305C, from Nakuru towards Nairobi when the collision occurred.
Officers from Naivasha Police Station visited the scene and moved Jirongo’s body to the Naivasha Sub-county Mortuary, pending a post-mortem examination.
Beyond the crash itself, Jirongo’s movements before his death have raised further questions as family members and close associates say he left Karen at around 11.30pm.
The veteran politician was expected to return home in Gigiri, Nairobi, with the family insisting he had no known plans to travel to Naivasha.
As burial preparations continue, with Jirongo set to be laid to rest on December 30, 2025, at his home in Lumakanda, Kakamega County, the growing list of conflicting accounts has only deepened public interest.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
