Cyrus Jirongo: New Twist as Petrol Station Security Guard Gives Fresh Account, Disputes Climax Bus Driver’s Version
Fresh questions have emerged over the death of former Lugari MP and ex-Cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo after a new eyewitness account appeared to contradict the version of events given by the driver involved in the fatal crash.
Jirongo, 64, died instantly following a head-on collision between his Mercedes-Benz saloon car and a Climax Coach bus along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway at Karai, in Naivasha Sub-county. The crash occurred at approximately 3am on Saturday, December 13.
At the centre of the latest developments is a petrol station security guard who says he witnessed the former lawmaker’s final movements moments before the collision. His account challenges earlier claims by the bus driver, who had attributed the accident to traffic conditions on the highway.
The Climax Coach driver told investigators that Jirongo had just exited a nearby petrol station and veered into his lane while attempting to avoid traffic heading towards Nairobi. The driver said he tried to avoid the collision but feared losing control of the bus, which was carrying 65 passengers travelling from Nairobi to Busia.
However, Ephraim Cheptek, a security guard who was on duty at the petrol station close to the crash site, has offered a sharply different version of events.
Cheptek said he was alert at the time and personally observed Jirongo’s vehicle as it entered the petrol station shortly before the crash. According to him, the road was calm and largely empty, contradicting claims that traffic played a role in the accident.
“If you looked at the road, it was calm,” Cheptek said. “For that short period, the road was quiet. There was no traffic flow, and only that one vehicle came. It was only after the incident that other vehicles arrived and traffic started building up.”
The guard insisted that no vehicle was trailing the former MP at the time and that there was no traffic in either direction until after the collision had already occurred.
Cheptek further explained that Jirongo’s car appeared to slow down as it entered the petrol station, suggesting he intended to refuel. However, he said the vehicle never stopped.
“It came in as if it wanted to get fuel, then it just went on and passed through like that, speeding off,” he said. “I was standing near the car wash and saw everything.”
According to the guard, Jirongo did not pause or yield at the petrol station exit before rejoining the highway. Instead, he claims the vehicle accelerated and entered the lane of the oncoming bus.
“When he reached the exit, he did not stop even for a moment,” Cheptek said. “He slowed down first, then suddenly accelerated. The movement was not normal.”
Cheptek added that the impact of the collision was severe, pushing Jirongo’s car an estimated 80 to 100 metres from the point of impact. By the time members of the public rushed to the scene, the former lawmaker had already died.
“He made a turn here, and as he did so, the bus was approaching. They met right there and collided head-on,” he said, indicating where the vehicle eventually came to rest.
Police reports previously confirmed that Jirongo was driving a Mercedes-Benz, registration number KCZ 305C, from Nakuru towards Nairobi at the time of the crash. Officers from Naivasha Police Station attended the scene and transferred his body to Naivasha Sub-county Mortuary, pending a post-mortem examination.
Beyond the circumstances of the crash itself, questions have also been raised about Jirongo’s movements earlier that night. Family members and close associates say he left his Karen residence at around 11.30pm and was expected to return home in Gigiri, Nairobi.
Relatives have maintained that he had no known plans to travel to Naivasha, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the final hours before his death.
As burial preparations continue, with Jirongo set to be laid to rest on December 30, 2025, at his home in Lumakanda, Kakamega County, the emergence of conflicting eyewitness accounts has intensified public interest and speculation over the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.
Cyrus Jirongo: New Twist as Petrol Station Security Guard Gives Fresh Account, Disputes Climax Bus Driver’s Version