Opposition demands answers from Wetang’ula over his meeting with Cyrus Jirongo before death
By Kenneth Mwenda, December 16, 2025Opposition leaders, led by Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua, have called on National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to explain his final meeting with the late Cyrus Jirongo just hours before the former minister’s death.
Speaking to the media after visiting Jirongo’s Nairobi home on December 16, 2025, the leaders demanded a swift and thorough investigation. Gachagua questioned the silence of those who were with Jirongo in Karen on the night of the accident.
“Kenyans are asking, who were the last people to be seen with Cyrus Jirongo? Why are they quiet? People he knew, people he trusted. Why are they quiet?” Gachagua asked.
Also watch: Questions emerge over death of former MP Cyrus Jirongo
“We haven’t heard them give a good account. Speaker Wetang’ula should have given a very good account. What was his plans, where he was going, what was happening. Other people who were with him should come and give clarity.”
He compared Jirongo’s death to that of J.M. Kariuki, the late politician whose murder in March 1975 is widely considered a political assassination, though the case remains officially unsolved.
Wetang’ula, however, earlier explained his encounter with Jirongo, saying he met the former Lugari MP on the evening of December 12, 2025, following Jamhuri Day celebrations.
“Yesterday we concluded the Jamhuri Day celebrations. A prominent politician called Cyrus Jirongo phoned me and said, ‘Papa, I want us to meet,’” Wetang’ula said.
The Speaker added that he met Jirongo from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm and excused himself to rest ahead of a planned trip the following day. “I told him I was going to rest because the next day I was travelling to Mazeras,” he said.
Wetang’ula learned of Jirongo’s death the next morning through messages on his phone.
“This morning, I woke up, opened my phone and saw messages saying, ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry – Jirongo has died,’” he said.
Calls for swift probe
The accident occurred early on December 13 along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway when Jirongo’s car collided head-on with a passenger bus near Karai. The DCI confirmed that preliminary investigations show the crash happened on that night, amid speculations on social media about possible tampering at the scene.
During their visit, opposition leaders, including Eugene Wamalwa, Speaker Emeritus JB Muturi, Senators Cleo Malala and Gloria Orwoba, and others, urged President Ruto to direct the DCI to expedite the investigation. They also called for accounts from passengers of the bus involved.
Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka described Jirongo as a man of courage and conviction.
“His family deserves the truth and Kenyans deserve closure. As we prepare to lay CJ to rest on December 30, I call upon the relevant authorities to carry out a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation,” Kalonzo posted on X.
Investigators are also examining CCTV footage and recording statements from individuals Jirongo interacted with before the crash, including those at a meeting at Karen Oasis Bar and Restaurant. Preliminary footage shows Jirongo at Eagol Petrol Station at 2:18 am before taking a route back toward Nairobi, moments before the collision with a Climax Company Ltd bus.
Jirongo, aged 64, rose to national prominence in 1992 as leader of Youth for KANU 92, a political lobby group supporting late President Daniel arap Moi during Kenya’s first multiparty elections.