Fresh clues after CCTV, autopsy reveal deadly crash killed Jirongo

DCI detectives, led by Director of the Homicide Division Martin Nyuguto, inspect the wreckage of the Mercedes Benz that former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo was driving before he died in a road accident on December 18, 2025. ‎[Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

For a man who spoke openly about death and repeatedly warned that his life was in danger, the passing of former Cabinet minister and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo came laden with intense speculations.

But with CCTV footage from the crash scene now in public domain and an autopsy conducted in the presence of three pathologists finally unveiled, fresh clues have emerged that could offer crucial leads to ongoing investigation.

The CCTV revelations now point out what some investigators call glaring road-use violations by both the late Jirongo and the driver of the bus which they say could have been avoided. A three-hour-long autopsy at Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi by Chief government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor and his counterparts Dr Bernard Midia and Dr Joseph Ndung’u representing the family, show that although Jirongo exhibited fewer injuries externally, severe internal injuries caused his death.

The pathologists unanimously concluded that Jirongo died as a result of crash-related injuries to the chest and abdomen, as well as spinal injuries caused by blunt force trauma, puncturing earlier assertions by the late Jirongo’s friends that the injuries were inconsistent with the cause of death. “There was a fracture involving the right hand, two fractures involving the right hand, and then there were fractures of both lower limbs,” Dr Ndung’u explained.

He added: “There was a crash injury to the chest with multiple rib fractures. We also noted perforation of the heart with the rupture of most of the major vessels that connect the heart.”

Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, who spoke to The Standard, hinted that detectives were also inching closer to a similar conclusion. “We are moving towards the tail end of the investigation, and indications are this was a fatal traffic accident,” Amin said.

The damning CCTV footage at Eagol Petrol Station Karai opens at 02:18:40. The deceased is seen veering into the station with his headlights on but without indicating. He enters from the Nairobi side, heading toward Naivasha, but does not drive into the fuel bays. Instead, he proceeds directly toward the station’s exit, appearing to attempt a U-turn. At no point does the vehicle come to a complete stop inside the petrol station; it remains in motion as it moves toward the exit.

At 02:19:18, Jirongo is captured rejoining the highway, now heading back in the same direction he had come from towards Nairobi but visibly joining using the wrong lane.

Moments later, the CCTV records what appears to be flashes of full headlights from the oncoming bus. Exactly six seconds later, the PSV bus from the Climax Company, seemingly at breakneck speed, bursts into picture, dragging Jirongo’s Mercedes-Benz after ramming into it. The impact sends the car several metres toward the centre of the road, spinning in circular motions before its lights finally go out.

According to investigators, the forceful head-on collision dragged Jirongo’s vehicle approximately 25 metres from the point of impact, while the PSV bus only came to a stop nearly 50 metres away, an outcome that may point to the high speed at which the bus was travelling before the driver engaged the brakes.

The revelation is likely to puncture earlier assertions by Tyrus Kamau, the driver of the Climax Limited bus, who claimed he avoided swerving to prevent harm to his passengers and that he made significant efforts to control the vehicle in order to reduce the impact.

CCTV evidence, however, suggests that Kamau was travelling at high speed in moments leading up to the crash. The first sign of human activity appears nearly two minutes later, when a man emerges from the direction of the petrol station and cautiously walks toward the wreckage.

Both public and private vehicles are seen slowing down as they navigate the crash scene from either direction. The CCTV footage shows the accident triggering a traffic snarl-up on both sides of the highway, with motorists diverted off the carriageway and onto the roadside as the scene unfolds.

Speaking on behalf of the family, former Vihiga Senator George Khaniri said there have been many gaps and questions surrounding Jirongo’s death and they have been demanding for answers.

“There are other extraneous matters still being investigated by the DCI. We want to plead with everyone for patience as we wait for the full report for us to be able to get the answers to the many questions that we’ve been asking,” he said.

Adding that, “three pathologists have concurred on the report, so that is just stage one. It does not answer the many other questions that we’ve been raising which we hope the DCI who was represented here will answer us in due course.”

Dr Oduor said some samples from Jirongo’s body were collected for toxicological analysis. “The samples have been taken in sets, some which will be analysed by our government chemists, and some which will be analysed by the pathologists on the family,” said Oduor

The exercise he said will take about one month or up to six weeks urging Kenyans to be patient for the final outcome. Some DNA samples were collected for analysis.

Jirongo’s long time doctor, Wanyoike who is a cardiologist and was among those who oversaw the postmortem, said he witnessed severe injury to the heart and that the left ventrical was raptured.

“The main pipe from the heart had disconnected from the organ and those injuries are not compatible with life and when that happens you rarely have three minutes to go,” the doctor added.

Some family members who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was still puzzling that the car Jirongo was driving did not have visible bloodstains. “To me it sounds like a script, I was among the first people to arrive at the accident scene and it did not appear usual, the car airbags were not out as it ought to have been,” the kin said.

At Naivasha Police Station, Jirongo’s Mercedes-Benz, registration KCZ 350C, lies in ruins. The front part completely smashed, oil still leaking, steering wheel missing and the right side of the rear bumper hanging indicating high impact.

In the vehicle, personal effects including a gold-coated bracelet and plastic cups are littered on the floor. There are no blood stains in the car though the airbags in the front have popped out.

[Report by Pkemoi Ngeno, Francis Ontomwa and Anthony Gitonga]