As the curtain falls on once-prominent Kenyan politician and former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo, a Tiriki man born in Vihiga County who later settled in Lumakanda, Lugari Constituency, where he went on to represent locals in Parliament, several cultural traditions and rituals are likely to accompany his final send-off.

As an elder of significant stature within his community, it is believed that specific customs must be observed upon his death to appease his spirit and clear the way for his peaceful reception by God.

The father of 38 met his death in a tragic road accident, an incident that has since been clouded by controversy.

 His family and friends have demanded answers over the circumstances surrounding his demise, with numerous unanswered questions and gaps continuing to fuel speculation. In line with Tiriki and wider Luhya traditions, community elders, family members, and close friends might visit the scene of the accident where Jirongo is believed to have breathed his last to perform rituals meant to spiritually “bring him home”.

According to cultural belief, the place where a person dies, especially in an accident, may retain the spirit of the deceased. As a result, a special ceremony may be conducted to collect Jirongo’s spirit from the Karai area in Naivasha and escort it back to his home in Lumakanda, which will serve as his final resting place.

Taken around homes

Jirongo was a polygamous man with several homes, including one in Kitale and another in Lumakanda, where his elder wife resides.

Elders in Lumakanda have confirmed that once his body is released from Lee Funeral Home, where it has been preserved after being transferred from the accident scene, it will first be taken to Kitale, one of his homesteads, before proceeding to Lumakanda in preparation for burial.

This practice is common among the Luhya community, where a deceased man is taken to all his homes as a sign of respect. Each household is accorded the opportunity to mourn, allowing every wife and family to bid farewell before the body is taken to the final burial site.

Where homes are located close to each other and share compounds, the body is often moved at night or during early morning hours to the homestead where the grave will be prepared.

“Today I received a phone call from Nairobi; I was informed that after the body leaves Nairobi, it will be taken to Kitale, then here to Lumakanda for burial,” a funeral steering committee member said.

Fire vigil

Upon arrival at the Lumakanda home, a vigil fire may be lit and maintained throughout the night.

Traditionally, this fire is believed to shield the family from misfortune. The fireplace is customarily reserved for men, with women prohibited from approaching it, as doing so is considered taboo.

“These are practices that were passed to us by our forefathers to avert calamities… If not taken seriously then the family in question would experience subsequent eaths,” a Luhya elder stated.

Before burial, and following the funeral service, Jirongo’s body, being that of a Tiriki elder, may be taken around the homestead one final time as a symbolic farewell. This ritual is often accompanied by song and dance as mourners escort the body to the burial site.

Uncertainty and suspicions

Given that his death remains surrounded by uncertainty, with suspicions that foul play may have been involved, cultural belief holds that Jirongo could be buried with symbolic items such as a torch, a panga, a knife, or a stick.

These items are traditionally meant to empower the deceased to pursue the person believed to have caused the death. The torch symbolises illumination so that the culprit never finds peace, while the panga, knife, or stick represents the continued pursuit and punishment of the offender.

In some instances the dead are treated with special herbs best known to Luhya people, as was a suggestion during the death of Jacob Juma, who, before his burial following his murder, an elder by the name Isaac Misiko had suggested that the deceased should be sprayed with the herbs so that the perpetrators should find no peace, and within a short time they would have been tracked down by the dead’s spirit.

 But Jacob Juma’s family distanced itself from such moves, saying that the late would be buried in a Christian manner

“Alafu watu wanakuja wanaleta madawa. Hio madawa omukulo yule ambaye anakuja anasema kwamba  wewe ulikufa kwa nini na anaongea. Tuna a yule mtu ambaye amekufa wanamsafisha madawa, na wanasema ya kwamba kama kuna mtu kweli alifanya haya mambo tunataka aonekane within 3 or 4 days.” Misiko said,

conclusion

With Jirongo emanating from a community that takes death with profound seriousness, his final journey is expected to be guided by deeply rooted traditions meant to restore balance between the living and the departed.

For the Tiriki and the wider Luhya community, death is not merely an end but a transition that must be carefully managed through ritual, respect, and collective responsibility.

The late Cyrus Jirongo is set to be laid to rest on December 30, 2025.