Cyrus Jirongo, Political Powerbroker of the 1990s, Dies

The people of Kenya are in a state of mourning following the demise of a veteran politician, Cyrus Shakhalaga Khwaja Jirongo, who tragically died on Friday, December 13th, in a car accident at Karai, Naivasha, along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Inside the Political Life of Cyrus Jirongo, Veteran Politician and Former Minister

Mr. Cyrus Jirongo, as he is commonly known, his death marks the end of a political life that has been characterized by more than thirty years of audacious politics, relentless ambition, and significant impact on the democratic process in Kenya.

Jirongo’s national stature came in the early 1990s when he emerged as one of the most potent political mobilizers in the country. Indeed, he became a household name when he led a highly influential movement known as Youth for KANU ’92 (YK ’92), which played a siginificant role in mobilizing youths behind the dominant political party in a transition to a multi-party state within Kenya in 1992.

This is a natural organizer with a great sense of political innateness. The educational background of Jirongo is from Mang’u High School from 1978 to 1981, which is known for producing political leaders and captains of industries.

Even before he joined elective politics, he has served as a leader in other spheres, such as being the chairman of AFC Leopards Football Club in 1991, when the game of football in Kenya was undergoing serious challenges.

He joined parliament in 1997 after winning the seat of Lugari Constituency. Not long after, he gained notoriety as a courageous member of parliament. Although he once identified with KANU, he later fell out with the party, a characteristic that has been a common thread throughout his political career. Jirongo never liked being on the side of the party line; he liked to go against the norm.

In 2002, he became the Minister for Rural Development, although he served briefly in the government during a very significant transitional era in the history of Kenya. Even though he served the government briefly, he still managed to remain close to the center of national decision-making.

Although he lost his parliament seat in 2002, he came back in 2007, when he won back the seat of Lugari on the ticket of his party, the Kenya African Democratic Development Union (KADDU). No sooner had the election fallout worsened when he became the only MP from his party, an outsider in a parliament ruled by mighty coalition forces.

Ambition has remained a characteristic of his political life. In 2013, he targeted the presidency, later changing his mind to run for the Senate in Kakamega, in support of Raila Odinga’s presidential campaign.

Later, in 2017, he vied for the presidency on the United Democratic Party ticket, which he also led, proving once again that he believes in alternative political voices, even when they are a political sacrifice.

In the 2022 General Election, his party supported the Azimio la Umoja coalition, resulting in the party winning a slot in parliament. This is, however, a demonstration of his political savvy, as he later congratulated President William Ruto on his win.

Besides the titles he has acquired and the elections he has been involved in, Cyrus Jirongo has a complicated but colorful life behind him. To his followers, he is a bold, fearless, and most uncompromising independent leader, but to his opponents, he is confrontational, unpredictable, yet nobody can argue that he doesn’t make a presence.

Even as the tributes keep rolling in, Jirongo would be remembered as a great mobilizer, a founder of a party, a member of parliament, and a consistent challenger of the status quo a life that has been in keeping with the journey that the country of Kenya has been taking.