Police rule out murder in Jirongo death

By Newsflash Reporter

Homicide detectives probing the death of politician Cyrus Jirongo have recommended a public inquest after concluding that there is no evidence of foul play in the incident that claimed the life of the former Lugari MP.

Investigators said their findings so far point to a road traffic accident rather than murder. In their recommendations to Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) chief Mohammed Amin, detectives stated that there was nothing to suggest that Mr Jirongo was killed deliberately.

White Probox

Earlier, Mr Amin disclosed that detectives had questioned occupants of a white Probox that appeared on CCTV footage following Jirongo’s vehicle on the night of the crash, and established that the car had no connection to his death. “Investigations conducted so far show the death was purely the result of a traffic accident,” Mr Amin said in a statement shared on the DCI’s social media pages. Mr Jirongo died on December 13 after his car was involved in a head-on collision with a passenger bus at about 3am along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway near Karai, Naivasha, in Nakuru County. Police said he was driving alone and sustained injuries consistent with a high-impact crash. Sources familiar with the inquiry said more than 20 people have been interviewed so far, including the bus driver, a tout, a passenger, petrol station attendants, and three occupants of the Probox that stopped at a fuel station shortly after Jirongo’s car.

Mr Amin said investigations showed that the Probox was registered to Keringet MCA and Nakuru Majority Leader William Mutai, who had hired it to a family planning to pick a relative from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport the next day. After recording statements, police ruled out any link between the four occupants and Mr Jirongo, noting they neither knew him nor had any interest in his movements. Despite these findings, controversy has continued ahead of the burial of the former Moi-era minister, with elders proposing that he be buried with a torch in keeping with Tiriki cultural beliefs to resolve lingering questions around his death. Leaders from Western Kenya who visited his home in Maili Saba, Kitale, on Sunday and Monday insisted on the ritual, arguing it would expose anyone responsible.

Former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said those opposing the cultural practice could be complicit in the death. They claimed elders would invoke traditional powers to uncover the truth, warning that no stone would be left unturned. “We cannot sit back and watch our people die under mysterious circumstances. Jirongo must be the last,” Mr Amisi said, citing the earlier death of businessman Jacob Juma.

Man loved by many

Mr Wamalwa and Mr Amisi said the community would use all cultural rites to ensure accountability, lamenting that several prominent Luhya leaders had died under unclear circumstances without conclusive investigations. Mr Wamalwa argued that cultural rituals were necessary because, in his view, official processes had failed. He dismissed critics of the rituals, saying they could be suspects or accomplices, and vowed that torches would be carried during the burial if necessary.

Regional leaders described Jirongo’s death as a major blow to the Mulembe nation and demanded a comprehensive government report. However, attendance at his requiem service was sparse.

Those present included Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau, burial co-chairs Fred Gumo and George Khaniri, former Nairobi clerk Philip Kisia, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli, and the county security team led by Commissioner Gideon Oyagi. Mr Khaniri and former Webuye MP Joash Wamang’oli urged elders to help uncover the truth.

Mr Wamang’oli said he last spoke to Jirongo at 11pm on the night of his death and questioned how he ended up in Naivasha. Senator Khaniri said private investigators had identified gaps, including CCTV footage allegedly showing two occupants in Jirongo’s car, and called for a thorough forensic probe. Mr Masengeli urged restraint, saying technology and ongoing forensic work would reveal the truth.

Family members, led by wives Christine Nyokabi and Anne Lanoi, remembered Jirongo as a devoted family man, while his children described him as equally loved by family and the public. Burial committee chairman Fred Gumo said investigations must remain thorough and transparent.