Sudi shares his experience serving as Jirongo’s assistant for 3 years
By Lutta Njomo, December 13, 2025Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi has come out to explain the rare qualities of the late former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Shakhalaga Jirongo, who died following a road accident at Karai along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
In a lengthy statement on Saturday, December 13, 2025, Sudi revealed that he served as Jirongo’s assistant for over three years, from 2009 to mid-2012.
Giving a brief glimpse into their working relationship, the vocal lawmaker detailed that the deceased always found a way to inspire hope in the workers, even when he was financially constrained.
According to Sudi, Jirongo mastered a strong, convincing power, which often calmed anxieties among his workers on matters related to finances.
“Jirongo was my former Boss, and I had the privilege of working closely with him for 3 and a half years, from 2009 to mid-2012, as his trusted assistant, where I witnessed firsthand his dedication, passion, and kindness,” Sudi’s statement read in part.
“One thing that stood out about Jirongo was his ability to sell hope to us. Even when he had no money, he would tell you that you’ll get money in the next one hour. Jirongo would confidently tell us that we’d solve the money problem, with such conviction that you’d believe it was already done,” he added.
Inspiring personality
Besides how cleverly he handled money-related matters, Sudi indicated that the late Jirongo always inspired those around him.
“He was a true leader who defied conventions and inspired those around him,” Sudi wrote while extending condolences to his family and friends.
Brief history
The late Jirongo first rose to national prominence in 1992 as the powerful chairman of the YK92 lobby group, a movement instrumental in campaigning for the late former President Daniel Arap Moi’s re-election.
He served for two terms as Lugari MP, first from 1997 to 2002 on a Kanu ticket, and again from 2007 to 2013 as a Kenya African Democratic Development Union legislator.
Jirongo was later associated with the United Democratic Party and the Federal Party of Kenya.
During the final months of the Moi administration that ended in December 2002, he briefly held a Cabinet portfolio as the Minister for Rural Development.
Jirongo also harboured presidential ambitions, notably contesting the 2017 Kenyan General Election, where he garnered a paltry 11,282 votes in the August poll and just 3,832 in the repeat election in October of the same year after the Supreme Court annulled the first vote.
He passed away after his car collided with a bus. His body was later moved to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi, awaiting funeral preparations.