Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo died in a road accident on December 13, 2025, along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway near Naivasha. He was 64. The crash happened around 3 a.m. when his Mercedes-Benz collided head-on with a passenger bus. Police said it looked like an accident, maybe from poor visibility or the wrong lane. An autopsy showed blunt force trauma as the cause.
Questions came up fast. Some leaders and family friends said Jirongo had worried about his safety before. Martha Karua mentioned he was planning better security. Others wondered why he was on that road so late. He had met National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in Karen that evening.
A requiem mass took place on December 27 at CITAM Valley Road in Nairobi. Many politicians attended, including Wetang’ula, former CS Moses Kuria, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, and Eugene Wamalwa. Tributes focused on Jirongo’s long career, from the YK92 days in the 1990s to his time as MP.
Talk turned to the burial and traditions. Jirongo came from the Tiriki sub-community of the Luhya. In Tiriki customs, for unclear deaths, people sometimes place a lit torch in the casket or on the grave. Belief says the flame points to anyone involved. When it goes out, that person faces trouble.
Natembeya first suggested this earlier in December. He said elders should use the rite to find truth if needed. At the mass, Kuria offered to buy the torch himself. He called it a way to push for answers without accusing anyone yet.
Wetang’ula spoke against turning the funeral political. He asked for calm and respect for the family. “Let formal probes handle questions,” he said.
The family plans a private burial on December 30 at Jirongo’s home in Lumakanda, Kakamega County. They turned down a state funeral. Funeral committee chair Fred Gumo said on December 28 that the family will follow their own ways. He pushed back on some elder demands about rites.
The body arrived in Kitale on December 28 before heading to Lumakanda. DCI head Mohamed Amin said no foul play so far, but investigations continue.
This debate mixes culture, grief, and politics. Many in western Kenya follow such traditions closely. Others want facts from police first. Jirongo leaves a big family and a long legacy in business and politics.
