Former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo died following a tragic road accident that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning in Karai area, Naivasha, Nakuru County.
His friends and relatives said Jirongo was driving himself to his rural home in Lugari, Kakamega when his vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a bus belonging to Climax Coach.
The crash happened at around 3:00 a.m. December 13, 2025 along the busy Nairobi–Nakuru Highway, Rift-valley Traffic Enforcement Officer Sarah Chumo said.
He was alone at the time.
He had earlier met a group of western leaders in Karen, Nairobi before he hit the road to his Kakamega home.
Other reports indicate he had reached Naivasha for a meeting and was driving back to Nairobi when the accident happened.
His car was badly damaged, police and witnesses said.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but Jirongo succumbed to his injuries.
Some of his friends rushed to the scene and were directed to the local mortuary where police had moved his body. There were plans to move the body to Nairobi for further procedures.
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka mourned Jirongo.
“Death has robbed us one of our greatest sons. Rest in peace, Hon. Cyrus Jirongo,” he said in a post.
COTU boss Francis Atwoli too mourned the death.
“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.”
Jirongo, a prominent businessman-turned-politician, served as Lugari MP and was widely known for his influence in national politics and development initiatives in Western Kenya. His death has sent shockwaves across the political divide, with leaders and residents alike mourning the loss of a seasoned public figure.
Police have launched investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident, as tributes continue to pour in from colleagues, friends, and constituents remembering Jirongo’s legacy and contribution to public life.
Who was Jirongo?
Cyrus Shakhalaga Khwa Jirongo was born on March 21, 1961.
He attended Mang’u High School between 1978 and 1981. He became widely known at a young age for his political organizing skills rather than for a formal professional background.
Jirongo rose to national prominence in 1992 as the leader of Youth for KANU 92, a powerful political lobby group formed to support President Daniel arap Moi during Kenya’s first multiparty elections.
The group played a major role in mobilization and fundraising and made Jirongo one of the most influential young political figures of the early 1990s.
Before holding elective office, Jirongo served as chairman of AFC Leopards Football Club in 1991.
This role helped raise his public profile beyond politics.
During the 1990s, Jirongo was associated with several business ventures, particularly in real estate and agriculture.
He publicly claimed to have become a billionaire at a young age.
Over time, however, many of these ventures became heavily indebted, leading to prolonged legal and financial disputes.
In 1997, Jirongo was elected Member of Parliament for Lugari Constituency.
In 2002, President Moi appointed him Minister for Rural Development in the final KANU government.
He lost his parliamentary seat in the 2002 general election but regained it in 2007 under his own party, the Kenya African Democratic Development Union.
Between 2008 and 2013, he was the only Member of Parliament from that party.
In 2013, Jirongo expressed interest in the presidency but eventually ran unsuccessfully for the Kakamega Senate seat. He supported Raila Odinga in the presidential race.
In 2017, he contested the presidency under the United Democratic Party but received a very small share of the national vote. His party later joined the Azimio la Umoja coalition ahead of the 2022 elections. After the election, he publicly congratulated President William Ruto.
From the mid 2000s onward, Jirongo faced mounting debts linked to bank loans and private lenders.
Several courts ruled against him in loan recovery cases. In 2017, the High Court declared him bankrupt after failing to repay loans amounting to hundreds of millions of shillings.
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Properties linked to companies associated with him were placed under receivership or auctioned.
Courts also ordered him to repay large sums to individuals, including trade unionist Francis Atwoli.
Jirongo is polygamous and has a large family.
He has spoken publicly about having wives from different communities. In 2025, he suffered personal tragedy following the death of one of his daughters after a short illness.
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