The life and times of Cyrus Jirongo

By Newsflash Writer

Cyrus Jirongo, who died earlier on Saturday following a road accident, was a seasoned Kenyan politician whose public life spanned decades and cut across politics, business and national affairs.

The former Lugari MP lost his life at around 3am after his vehicle was involved in a collision with a passenger bus along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway. Police said the 64-year-old died as a result of the crash.

Born on March 21, 1961, during the colonial period, Jirongo was educated at Mang’u High School, where he studied between 1978 and 1981 before venturing into public life.

Political rise and parliamentary career

He first rose to national prominence in the early 1990s as the youthful chairman of Youth for KANU ’92 (YK ’92), a powerful political lobby group that mobilised support for the then-ruling Kenya African National Union ahead of the 1992 multiparty elections.

At a time when Kenya was opening up to multiparty democracy, Jirongo and his allies were regarded as energetic and influential operatives closely linked to President Daniel arap Moi’s inner circle.

Jirongo made his electoral debut in the 1997 General Election, when he won the Lugari Constituency parliamentary seat. He served as MP from 1997 to 2002, and later returned to Parliament for a second term between 2007 and 2013.

Towards the end of President Moi’s administration, he was appointed Minister for Rural Development, a position he held in 2002.

Party shifts and presidential ambitions

Over the years, Jirongo shifted across several political parties. After falling out with KANU around 1999, he briefly associated with the unregistered United Democratic Movement before maintaining links with KANU in later political contests.

In 2006, he founded the Kenya African Democratic Development Union (KADDU), under which he successfully reclaimed the Lugari seat in the 2007 elections.

His party became one of the smallest opposition voices represented in Parliament at the time.

Jirongo also harboured long-standing presidential ambitions. He first expressed interest in the presidency in 1998 and later contested the 2017 General Election under the United Democratic Party, which he continued to lead.

In the 2017 presidential race, he garnered about 11,000 votes, representing roughly 0.07 per cent of the total votes cast.

On the personal front, Jirongo was widely known for his large family and was an outspoken advocate of polygamy, a position he openly defended, saying it was an integral part of his life and identity.