Tiriki Elders Perform Secret Ritual After Cyrus Jirongo’s Burial as Doubts Deepen
Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia has disclosed that Tiriki elders performed a traditional ritual at the home and funeral of the late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, amid lingering questions surrounding the circumstances of his death.
Speaking during an interview on a local podcast aired on Saturday, Kisia suggested that doubts remain over whether Jirongo’s death was entirely natural, despite official findings following a post-mortem examination.
Kisia stated that while death can be God’s will, the Tiriki community is culturally compelled to seek spiritual justice when a loved one dies under unclear or suspicious circumstances.
“If God took him, then let him rest in peace,” Kisia said. “But if there was a human hand involved, then may that person — and their generations — be cursed.”
Autopsy findings and unanswered questions
Jirongo’s body was examined at Lee Funeral Home, where an autopsy reportedly indicated that he died from blunt force trauma to the chest. However, Kisia claimed the findings had not fully resolved concerns within the family and community.
According to Kisia, these unresolved questions prompted elders from the Tiriki community, a sub-group of the larger Luhya community, to intervene spiritually in line with long-held traditions.
Tiriki ritual meant to “haunt the guilty”
Kisia explained that the ritual — well understood among the Tiriki — is traditionally invoked to pursue justice when wrongdoing is suspected, particularly in cases involving death.
The former town clerk claimed the curse is believed to manifest physically on the perpetrator, including through abnormal bodily signs, as a warning and punishment.
“The Tirikis are very serious when it comes to these issues,” he said. “When a Tiriki says ‘Ntakusola mvueni’, something can grow on your body. Be very careful.”
He added that, according to Tiriki beliefs, such matters cannot simply be ignored or left unresolved.
“If there was a human hand, as we suspect there could have been, then the elders performed the necessary customs. This is not something taken lightly.”
Elders publicly invoke curse at Jirongo’s home
Kisia’s remarks follow a separate event in which Tiriki elders visited Jirongo’s residence in Gigiri, Nairobi, to offer condolences to his family.
Dressed in traditional attire, the elders praised Jirongo as a respected son of the Tiriki people, describing him as a prominent figure who carried the community’s identity nationally.
One elder, identified as Wandabuli, who wore religious garments associated with the African Divine Church, issued a prayer calling on Jirongo’s spirit to deny peace to anyone responsible for his death.
He urged that if anyone played a role in Jirongo’s demise, “his spirit should pursue them relentlessly.”
Kisia himself echoed similar sentiments earlier during a requiem mass at CITAM Valley Road, where he openly cursed anyone who may have been involved in his friend’s death.
Official account of Jirongo’s death
Cyrus Jirongo is reported to have died following a road accident in the Kerar area near Naivasha, after a head-on collision involving a Climax Coach bus that was travelling towards Busia.
However, the mix of eyewitness accounts, autopsy findings, and spiritual interventions has continued to fuel speculation and debate over the true circumstances of the former MP’s death.
Also Read: Chaos erupts as Kwale Politicians storms out of Cs Joho-led meeting
Tiriki Elders Perform Secret Ritual After Cyrus Jirongo’s Burial as Doubts Deepen