Speaker Wetang’ula Breaks Silence on Jirongo’s Last Call Before Fatal Highway Crash
Veteran Kenyan politician Cyrus Jirongo was killed in a devastating road crash in the early hours of Saturday morning, just hours after holding what would become his final meeting with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
The fatal accident occurred along the Nakuru–Naivasha highway, ending the life of one of the most influential and controversial figures of Kenya’s multiparty political era. Jirongo was pronounced dead at the scene after his vehicle collided head-on with a passenger bus in Karai, a notorious accident black spot.
Earlier that night, the businessman-turned-politician had reached out personally to Wetang’ula following the close of Jamhuri Day celebrations.
“Papa, I want us to meet,” Jirongo told the Speaker in a phone call late on Friday evening.
The two men met shortly afterwards at a restaurant in Karen, where they spent over an hour talking and reflecting, according to Wetang’ula. The Speaker left the meeting at around 9.30pm, unaware it would be the last time he would see his longtime friend alive.
By Saturday morning, Wetang’ula said he woke up to a flood of messages carrying shocking news.
“I woke up to messages saying Cyrus was no more,” the Speaker revealed, describing the tragedy as a painful reminder of life’s fragility.
“Today you are here, tomorrow you are gone,” Wetang’ula said. “Death’s timing is the secret God has kept from human beings.”
Police reports indicate that Jirongo had travelled briefly to Naivasha during the night before deciding to drive back towards Nairobi. The purpose of the trip remains unclear.
According to the Naivasha Traffic Base Commander, the crash happened at approximately 3.00am when Jirongo’s white Mercedes-Benz veered into the path of an oncoming Climax bus carrying 65 passengers.
Police stated that preliminary investigations suggest Jirongo failed to keep to his lane, leading to the head-on collision. He sustained fatal head injuries and died instantly. His body was taken to Naivasha Sub-County Mortuary before being transferred to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi. Both vehicles were towed to the police station for inspection.
The driver of the bus, 52-year-old Tirus Kamau Githinji, later recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the crash. Speaking to reporters at the Naivasha Police Station, Kamau said he had been driving from Nairobi to Busia when the Mercedes suddenly appeared in his lane.
He claimed the car was emerging from a petrol station and, facing traffic on its side, overlapped into oncoming vehicles.
With dozens of passengers on board, Kamau said swerving sharply could have caused the bus to overturn or veer off the highway.
“I decided to save the 65 people,” he said. “I held the bus steady.”
Kamau said he only learnt the identity of the driver after police arrived at the scene.
“They told me it was Cyrus Jirongo,” he added. “He died on the spot.”
Jirongo rose to national prominence in 1992 as the leader of Youth for KANU ’92, a powerful lobby group credited with mobilising support for former President Daniel arap Moi during Kenya’s first multiparty elections. He later served as Lugari Member of Parliament and held Cabinet positions, remaining an influential political figure for decades.
Known for his charisma, wealth and tactical brilliance, Jirongo was both admired and criticised in equal measure. To supporters, he was bold and visionary; to critics, a shrewd political operator. Either way, he was widely regarded as one of the defining figures of Kenya’s modern political history.
Tributes have continued to pour in from across the political divide as leaders reflect on his legacy and sudden death. Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced, with the family said to be in mourning.
For Wetang’ula, however, the loss is marked by the quiet ordinariness of their final moments together — a phone call, a meeting, a handshake — before a journey that ended in tragedy on a dark highway.
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Speaker Wetang’ula Breaks Silence on Jirongo’s Last Call Before Fatal Highway Crash