Cyrus Jirongo. Photo/Courtesy
The late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo is being remembered as a bold, controversial and relentlessly optimistic political figure whose life mirrored the highs and costs of proximity to power in Kenya.
Jirongo rose to national prominence in the 1990s as a key architect of the Youth for KANU ’92 (YK ’92) campaign, a role that later defined both his influence and controversy.
Despite political fallout, failed comeback attempts and mounting debts, he never accepted blame for the economic damage associated with YK ’92.
Until his death, he maintained that he was unfairly scapegoated, insisting the full story involved powerful actors within State House, intelligence agencies and senior KANU circles.
At the time of his death, Jirongo was working on a manuscript intended to document his life and political journey, an effort to set the record straight on a career marked by ambition, speed and constant reinvention.
Jirongo died on December 13 after a fatal road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway at Karai, Naivasha, where his vehicle was involved in a collision with a passenger bus.
Police reports indicated he died on the spot due to severe injuries.
He will be laid to rest on Tuesday, December 30, at his Lumakanda home in Lugari, Kakamega County.
His death has reignited debate about accountability, political patronage and legacy in Kenya’s political history.