Family seeks government investigation into Jirongo’s final movements before deadly accident

The family of former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo has called for a comprehensive government investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, raising questions over his final movements before the fatal road crash.

Jirongo died early Saturday morning, December 13, 2025, after his car collided with a passenger bus along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway. Police reported that the accident occurred at approximately 3:00 am.

While police have described the incident as a road accident, Jirongo’s family says several unanswered questions remain. They insist that only a detailed investigation can explain how the 64-year-old ended up in Naivasha, contrary to his known plans.

According to the family, Jirongo was expected to return home in Gigiri, Nairobi, on Friday night, December 12, 2025. However, he was later found driving in Naivasha and heading back towards Nairobi, with no apparent reason for his travel to the town.

“How did he find himself in a car, in Naivasha, driving back to Nairobi?” George Khaniri, the co-chairperson of the burial committee, posed.

“That is a mystery that must be unravelled.”

The family says Jirongo was last seen in Karen before his unexpected journey. Former Westlands MP Fred Gumo, also a member of the burial committee, urged the government to use technology to trace Jirongo’s movements.

“We are asking the administration officers to do everything possible and tell us what really happened. There are cameras everywhere these days. They must have seen this car as it left Karen, went towards Naivasha, and when it turned back towards Nairobi,” Gumo said.

The family noted that it lacks witnesses and independent evidence, leaving the government as the only body capable of conducting a credible investigation. They have urged security agencies to review CCTV footage from roads and residential areas along the route.

As calls for answers continue, burial preparations are underway. The family has formed a committee to oversee the arrangements, with Jirongo set to be laid to rest on December 30, 2025, at his home in Lumakanda, Kakamega County.

Jirongo was a prominent figure in Kenyan politics for over three decades. Born on March 21, 1961, he attended Mang’u High School before rising to national prominence in the early 1990s as a leader of Youth for KANU ’92, a lobby group that supported the ruling party ahead of the 1992 multiparty elections. He first entered Parliament in 1997 after winning the Lugari seat and served as MP from 1997 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2013. In 2002, President Daniel Arap Moi appointed him Minister for Rural Development.

Jirongo also ran for president in the 2017 General Election under the United Democratic Party (UDP), where he garnered about 11,000 votes.

Villagers and relatives have also struggled to come to terms with the loss of a man they describe as not just a political leader, but a pillar of the family and community.

“It is a shock to the family; we did not expect this to happen. It is the festive season, and we were expecting to be together as a family for our usual gatherings. He has been a leader not just to the country, but to the family. It is a great loss to us because he has been helping us a lot,” a female relative said.

Another family member described Jirongo as a father figure.

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“This is a big tree that has fallen. We are asking for prayers for us and for Kenya as a country,” she said.

A male relative added, “We do not know where to begin as a family. He was everything to us. We appreciate him—he has been a pillar to the family. We want to tell Kenyans to hold us, hold our hands, and mourn with us.”

An accident forensic audit report commissioned by friends of Jirongo has also raised doubts over the official police account, noting that while police described the incident as a “head-on collision” between Jirongo’s Mercedes-Benz E350 and a bus near the Gilgil junction, witnesses reported catastrophic front-end damage to the vehicle.

The bus driver, Tiras Kamau, was briefly detained but later released as investigations, described as “routine,” commenced.

However, a detailed forensic analysis indicated the Mercedes suffered “severe deformation localised to the rear-left quarter,” contradicting the police’s front-impact narrative. The report concluded that the car was struck from the rear-left by a heavier, faster vehicle, with the frontal collision described as a “secondary impact, catastrophic frontal collision,” indicating a complex, multi-impact event.

Jirongo’s close friend, Vihiga Senator George Khaniri, highlighted discrepancies in the timeline, saying, “I met him at 7 am in Karen Oasis. He was seated with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Redman Malala. We finished business, and I left. I called him at 10:58 pm on Friday and jokingly asked why he was still out. He said he had finished and was just about to go home. There was no talk of his going to Naivasha.”

Khaniri said he later received a call from Jirongo’s wife at 3:23 am requesting urgent help in Naivasha after the accident.

“This was very strange. There is no way Jirongo drove to Naivasha when he left Karen. Unless someone took him there. The meeting we had the next day was too important and he wouldn’t have risked missing it. He has always been careful,” Khaniri said.

Jirongo’s caretaker, Josephat Idoli, confirmed the politician had planned to return home.

“At 10 pm, I called him to tell him I was heading to bed and his supper was on the table. He told me to sleep because he would be coming home shortly. He did not mention going to Naivasha,” Idoli said.

Jirongo’s son, Jake, said the family has many unanswered questions.

“The family will meet later, form a committee, and all relevant issues will be raised then,” he said.

The UDP Busia branch has also demanded a thorough investigation. Addressing a press conference, UDP Organising Secretary John Adawa Ichasi said competent investigators must establish who spoke to him, who he met, and what prompted his sudden departure.

“This will help allay fears and speculation among Kenyans that this was not a normal accident,” he said.

Ichasi further questioned why a politician of Jirongo’s stature would travel alone late at night without his driver or security detail.

“Who called him? Why did he leave suddenly at 9:30 pm? Who was he going to meet in Nakuru? Kenyans deserve answers, and those answers depend on an independent and competent investigative team that cannot be manipulated,” he said.

He added that UDP National Secretary General and former Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong was equally shocked by the death. The Busia party branch executive said it plans to travel to Lugari on Wednesday to condole with the family before convening a National Delegates Conference to elect a substantive party leader.