How high-profile road deaths are shrouded in mystery

Wreckage of the vehicle late Cyrus Jirongo was driving in. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The death of politician Cyrus Jirongo in a road crash on the dawn of Saturday has begun raising questions as friends and family poke holes in what they consider a narrative shaped by the first police report and the driver of the bus that crashed him.

The emerging questions have brought back memories of other high profile deaths through road accidents that remain a mystery. All individuals listed below had one thing in common when they were reported dead on the roads. They were sharp critics of their governments.

George Morara

In early September 1970, West Mugirango MP George Justus Morara had a surprising encounter in Lusaka, Zambia. As he sipped his drink one late evening, he unexpectedly ran into Nahashon Njenga - the man who had assassinated Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya in 1969. Morara, was with members of the Social Welfare and Employment parliamentary committee on official duty.  He confronted Njenga, who panicked and fled the club. This encounter was shocking because the previous year, the government had announced that Njenga had been sentenced to death and hanged for Mboya’s murder. 

Upon returning to Nairobi’s Embakasi Airport, Morara and several other committee members, chaired by then Kandara MP George Mwicigi, headed straight to Parliament for a press conference. There, Morara revealed their encounter with Njenga in Lusaka and gave the government a 48-hours to produce Njenga, who had supposedly been executed.

Tragically, within 48 hours, Morara died in a suspicious road accident along the Kakamega-Kisumu highway. He was only 34. His death remains a mystery. Friends and family insist he was assassinated. In a condolence message on the evening of Saturday, September 12, 1970- the day Morara died- President Kenyatta expressed great sorrow, describing Morara as a vigorous and vital politician who had already made significant contributions to the nation through Parliament and his extensive tours. 

Gen Joseph Ndolo

Major General Joseph Ndolo was a former Chief of the General Staff and the first African to head the armed forces of Kenya. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1963 and appointed Commanding Officer of the 5th Battalion, Kenya Rifles. He attained the rank of Major General in 1969 and was appointed the first African Chief of General Staff. Two years into his career, he was reportedly implicated in a coup plot which was foiled long before it matured. He is said to have latter died in a road accident while driving alone from Mombasa to his home in Sultan Hamud.

Chief Justice Kitili Mwendwa

He was from Kitui and the first African to become Chief Justice of Kenya. He died in September 1985, with history indicating that on the day he died, he was travelling to his 1000-acre coffee farm to pay his workers and was driving alone. He died in a grisly road accident near Kenyatta University. Although an inquiry formed confirmed he died in an accident, his family still held their doubts. Kitili had been associated with the 1971 coup plot involving Major General Joseph Ndolo against Jomo Kenyatta that was foiled before it happened 

Bishop Alexander Muge

A strong critic of the then Kanu government Anglican Bishop Alexander Muge, was once warned for his outspokenness by Kanu hawk Peter Okondo of Busia to never step there since he may never return alive. Muge was to be crashed by a truck on his way back from that district in what caused Okondo to lose his cabinet position and resignation from politics altogether.

Muge died in a mysterious road accident in August 1990 in Uasin Gishu. He car collided head on with a truck. On several occasions, church leaders demanded that findings of an inquiry into the death of the ACK Bishop be made public, saying it would give many people closure and peace of mind. He was a vocal preacher and a fearless critic of human rights violations. 

Lawrence Sagini

Lawrence is remembered as a transformative independence-era leader, who served as Kenya’s first African Minister for Education between 1962 and 1963. Sagini, is reported to have been a strong believer in ethical leadership and unity and consistently urged Kenyans to reject corruption and tribalism while embracing accountability and justice. He died on August 1, 1995, in a road accident at Chepseon market on the Nakuru-Kericho road.