Jirongo’s long journey in search for political home

By Peter Atsiaya

It has not been an easy walk for Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo as he battles to succeed President Kibaki in next year’s General Election.

CJ, as popularly known by his supporters, has changed parties and fallen out with his former close allies. He is now facing isolation from the party where he had invested heavily for the bi race.

The former minister for Regional development started by joining Kaddu that he used to go to Parliament in 2007 Elections.

The party later closed doors for failing to comply with the new Political Parties Act.

Then Jirongo together with longtime political friend and a key member of the former YK 92, Eldoret North MP William Ruto joined United Democratic Movement. They held a colourful re-launch of the party and declared that they would run for presidency on it.

But their stay in the party was short-lived as ownership wrangles saw them go different ways. Jirongo later joined Ruto at the United Republican Party (URP).

Jirongo decided to launch his presidential bid on the party at Mbale Municipal Grounds, in Vihiga County, the home turf of the Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi.

His differences with Ruto saw Jirongo walk out of the party as he accused the former Higher Education Minister of being a State project and sidelining him in the management of the party.

He then went underground for some time and when he resurfaced, he was involved in talks with New Ford-Kenya presidential aspirant and Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa that saw his supporters suspect that he would join the party.

Later there came a new alliance pitting Jirongo-Eugene and Ford-Kenya presidential aspirant and Trade Minister Moses Wetangula.

The alliance, reportedly formed to check on Mudavadi’s growing popularity after the DPM declared his candidature for presidency on a UDF ticket, did not last long.

The trio fell apart two weeks later, a move that put Jirongo in more trouble as he remained without a political party.

After several weeks of a search for a political party, Jirongo finally got a home in the name of Federal Party of Kenya (FPK).

He later launched his bid for presidency on the party in a colourful event in Nairobi adding his name to the forest of candidates seeking to occupy the House on the Hill.

Pundits are now waiting to see his next move in case the Federal Party kicks him out.