Mukasa Mwambu Muliro appointed new UDP party leader after Cyrus Jirongo’s death

Mukasa Mwambu Muliro has been appointed the new leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), succeeding the late Cyrus Shiakhalaga Khwa Jirongo.

The appointment was confirmed by the Registrar of Political Parties, John Cox Loririonok, in a Gazette Notice dated July 31, 2026.

Muliro takes over the leadership of the party following the death of Jirongo, who served as UDP leader until his demise in December 2025.

Jirongo was a prominent Kenyan politician who contested the presidency on the UDP ticket during the 2017 General Election. In the 2022 General Election, he vied for the Kakamega governorship under the same party but was unsuccessful.

Despite his defeat in the gubernatorial race, the United Democratic Party secured representation in the National Assembly during the 2022 General Election.

Jirongo died on December 13, 2025, at the age of 64 following a road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway near Karai in Naivasha. His vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a passenger bus.