People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has revealed that Former Cabinet Minister and Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo was concerned about his personal safety in the weeks and months leading up to his passing.
Speaking during the farewell ceremony of Jirongo on Saturday, December 7, Karua claimed that until his death, Jirongo was in the process of engineering better safety measures to reinforce his personal security.
Karua further noted that the controversial questions about Jirongo's death would continue to arise over time unless the government made a solid breakthrough in investigations.
"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," Karua said.
"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 described Jirongo as a long-time friend and colleague who was always focused on the betterment and well-being of the country.
According to Karua, Jirongo had also expressed intentions to work with her as she vowed to actualise the collaboration despite the former Cainet Minister's passing.
"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.
Speaking during the same event Chama cha Kazi Party leader Moses Kuria called for a thorough investigation into Jirongo's death as he offered to purchase a customary 'torch' to be buried alongside Jirongo.
In some cultures in Western Kenya, burying a deceased with a torch is a way of identifying his killers, as it is believed that once the torch goes out, so will the main suspects involved in an individual's death.
Jirongo, who also served as a Cabinet Minister during President Daniel Moi's regime, died on Saturday, December 13, in a grisly road accident along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
Over the past two weeks, the former MP's death has sparked controversy in Kenya, with some questioning whether it was truly an accident or a premeditated incident.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has spearheaded investigations scrutinising how the accident occurred and also interrogating all those who were involved, including the bus driver who collided with Jirongo on that fateful morning.
In its latest update on the accident, DCI said that they were analysing Jirongo's mobile phone to piece together his final moments. Furthermore, the detectives summoned the bus driver for further questioning.
According to CCTV footage collected near the accident site, Jirongo’s white saloon car arrived at the station from the Nairobi side at 2:18am, bypassing the fuel pumps before executing a quick U-turn 34 seconds later and heading back towards Nairobi.
At 2:19:25 am, a 65-seater bus travelling towards Nakuru at high speed collided head-on with Jirongo's vehicle.
