Former Cabinet Minister and Lugari member of Parliament, Cyrus Jirongo, has passed away, with reports indicating that he died following a grisly road accident.
According to sources privy to the information, the former KANU bigwig passed away on Saturday morning at around 3 am, after being involved in a crash while driving back to his home in Lugari.
The crash is said to have occurred in the Karai area of Naivasha, along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, involving his car and a 45-seater passenger bus, killing him on the spot.
While confirming the accident, Rift Valley traffic enforcement officer Sarah Chumo revealed that the vehicle carrying the former legislator reportedly rammed into the bus, sustaining severe damage.
The 64-year-old was a former Minister for Rural Development during Kenya's second President, Daniel Moi's administration between March 2002 and December of the same year.
He also served as Member of Parliament for Lugari Constituency between 1997 and 2002 and between 2007 and 2013.
In 2022, he unsuccessfully contested the Kakamega gubernatorial position under the United Democratic Party (UDP). He, however, lost the race to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party's Fernandes Barasa.
Following his death, several leaders have since shared their condolences, including Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka and Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli.
The Bungoma Governor mourned the politician, stating, "Death has robbed us of one of our greatest sons. Rest in peace, Honourable Cyrus Jirongo."
Atwoli wrote: "This morning, with a lot of shock and sadness, I have learnt of the passing on of Cyrus Jirongo, who was an asset to our community and Kenya. We loved him, but God loved him more. May your soul rest in peace!"
Jirongo, known for his long career in Kenyan politics and business, in 2017 vied for the presidency under the UDP but lost after garnering 11,000 votes, which at the time represented 0.07 per cent of the total votes cast.
Despite maintaining a low profile since his election loss in 2022, Jirongo recently endorsed DAP-Kenya candidate in the Malava by-elections, Seth Panyako, and campaigned for him in the days leading up to the mini-polls held on November 27.
