People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has disclosed that former Cabinet Minister and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo was uneasy about his personal security in the period leading to his passing.
Speaking at Jirongo’s farewell ceremony on Saturday, December 27, Karua said the late politician had been taking steps to improve his protection, showing the level of concern he carried in his final weeks.
"I want to say something that has not been said that Cyrus had concerns about his safety, and he was actually making arrangements to better secure himself," she said.
Karua also noted that unresolved questions about Jirongo’s death would continue to surface unless there is a concrete breakthrough in the official investigations.
"The accidents came before that time. So these questions will linger, but for now, we stand by the family, and we say farewell to a person who had a large heart," she added.
Karua reflected on her long friendship and political partnership with Jirongo, highlighting his commitment to serving the country. She said plans to work together in the future were already underway, and his death would not end that vision.
"We have collaborated with Cyrus in many political seasons. We met some years back when we were bailing out someone who was a mutual friend who is now a big person, and we then met in parliament. we were planning to collaborate going forward, and this is not going to stop," Karua said.
During the same event, Chama cha Kazi Party leader Moses Kuria called for a thorough probe into Jirongo's death. He promised to purchase a customary torch to be buried with Jirongo, a tradition in Western Kenya believed to reveal the culprits behind a person’s death when the torch extinguishes.
Jirongo, who served as a Cabinet Minister during President Daniel Moi’s administration, died in a crash on Saturday, December 13, along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. His death has triggered public debate over whether the collision was an accident or intentional.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is leading the inquiry, questioning all involved, including the bus driver. Investigators are also examining Jirongo’s mobile phone to piece together his last movements.
CCTV footage near the accident site shows Jirongo’s white saloon arriving from Nairobi at 2:18am, skipping the fuel pumps, executing a quick U-turn 34 seconds later, and heading back toward Nairobi. At 2:19:25am, a 65-seater bus speeding toward Nakuru collided head-on with his car.
