Fresh Twist as New Details Place Woman in Cyrus Jirongo’s Final Moments in Naivasha
Fresh details have emerged surrounding the final hours of veteran Kenyan politician and businessman Cyrus Jirongo, following his death in a fatal road accident in Karai, Naivasha, in the early hours of Saturday, December 13.
According to a detailed report by Daily Nation, investigators are now piecing together Jirongo’s movements in the hours leading up to the crash, which occurred shortly after 2am along the busy Nairobi–Nakuru highway.
Sources cited by the newspaper revealed that Jirongo spent Friday evening in Nairobi, where he was reportedly in the company of a woman before the pair later travelled to Naivasha in his white Mercedes-Benz.
A boda boda rider told Daily Nation that he encountered the vehicle at around 1.30am, when it briefly stopped near a hotel in Naivasha and a woman alighted from the front passenger seat.
“I saw a white Mercedes-Benz pull over and a woman disembark from the front passenger seat. I had also dropped a passenger at the same spot. When I checked who the driver was, I saw it was Jirongo,” the rider was quoted as saying.
“He spoke briefly with the woman for less than a minute, then drove off.”
Police are now retracing Jirongo’s movements between 11pm, when he was last seen at a restaurant in Karen, and 2am, when the fatal collision occurred.
A senior traffic officer from the Rift Valley region said general duty officers were the first to arrive at the scene, followed by traffic police who documented the wreckage and cleared the highway.
The officer noted that no inventory of items was taken from the vehicle as there was no immediate suspicion of foul play. Documents recovered from the car were, however, sufficient to confirm Jirongo’s identity.
Witnesses at the scene gave varying accounts of the moments before the crash. One motorist told police he had earlier seen the Mercedes-Benz parked by the roadside, suggesting the driver may have briefly stopped.
A journalist who arrived at the scene later reported seeing personal items believed to belong to a woman inside the wreckage, including earrings.
Further insight came from an attendant at the East African Oilgas Petrol Station in Karai, who said Jirongo drove into the station at around 2.15am, made a turn at the fuel pumps without refuelling, and then rejoined the highway.
“A few minutes later, I heard a loud bang from the highway,” the attendant said.
“His Mercedes-Benz had collided head-on with a Climax Company bus. The car was dragged several metres from the point of impact before the bus came to a stop.”
The attendant added that he rushed to the scene and found Jirongo slumped over the steering wheel.
The bus driver, Titus Kamau, who was transporting 65 passengers to Busia, confirmed the account, saying he had little time to react.
“The driver of the Mercedes-Benz attempted to overtake after leaving the petrol station and swerved into my lane, causing the collision,” Kamau said.
Police later indicated that Jirongo may have been carrying his licensed firearm at the time of the crash, though none was recovered from the scene.
Meanwhile, Jirongo’s family has announced that a joint post-mortem will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death. Three pathologists — one appointed by the family, another by his clan, and a government representative — will take part in the procedure in a move aimed at ensuring transparency.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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Fresh Twist as New Details Place Woman in Cyrus Jirongo’s Final Moments in Naivasha