Prominent lawyer Kibe Mungai has cast fresh doubt on the circumstances surrounding the death of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, arguing that available details do not support the conclusion that he died in a straightforward road accident.
Speaking during a television interview on December 15, Mungai said the account of events leading to Jirongo’s death raises serious red flags and warrants a more thorough investigation. He questioned why investigators appear to be relying on a single narrative provided by the driver of the bus involved in the crash.
“There is only one narrative that comes from the driver. This is quite unusual in the normal course of things. Jirongo’s death does not appear to be a legitimate accident,” Mungai said, urging authorities to dig deeper as the country awaits postmortem results.
The senior advocate noted that the absence of independent witnesses, passengers, neighbours or bystanders at the scene was troubling. He maintained that such gaps are inconsistent with a major crash on a busy highway and called for investigators to reconstruct Jirongo’s final hours in detail.
Mungai also questioned why the former legislator was travelling along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway in the early hours of the morning. He argued that Jirongo’s known movements did not align with a late-night trip to Naivasha, raising doubts about whether the journey was planned or voluntary.
Jirongo, 64, died in the early hours of December 13 after a head-on collision involving his Mercedes-Benz and a Climax Coach bus at Karai area in Naivasha.
Police reports indicate the crash occurred at about 3am, with Jirongo succumbing to his injuries at the scene. The bus, which was travelling from Nairobi to Busia with 65 passengers, did not report serious injuries.
Despite the official account, questions persist. Family members say Jirongo was last seen on the evening of December 12 in Karen, Nairobi, and had planned to return home to Gigiri, with no known business in Naivasha. The United Democratic Party, which he led, has demanded clarity on his final movements as investigations continue.
A dominant figure in Kenyan politics for over three decades, Jirongo will be buried on December 30 in Lumakanda, Kakamega County.
By PeopleDaily