A life of open doors: Cyrus Jirongo's long road to greatness

The late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo. [File, Standard]

Hon. Cyrus Jirongo was a gem. 

The earliest time I interacted with him was in 2002, when he sought the position of Kanu Vice Chairman in the run-up to the Kanu–NDP merger of March 18, 2002. At the time, I was a student leader at the University of Nairobi. In an act of political maturity, he eventually gave way to Hon. Musalia Mudavadi, who became Vice Chairman alongside Noah Katana Ngala, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Uhuru Kenyatta. 

Interacting with political leaders during those formative years was essential, for it laid the foundations that moulded many of us into the student leaders we later became. 

In 2013, Jirongo once again became central to a defining moment in my life. My sister, Janet Fwamba, who had served as a nominated Councillor in the former Bungoma County Council, sought to become the pioneer MCA for Tuuti/Marakaru Ward. She was a staunch supporter of FORD–Kenya and was strong on the ground, with a high chance of winning. At the time, FORD–Kenya enjoyed immense support in Bungoma County, and securing the party ticket was a major boost towards victory. 

However, when the nomination ballots were released, the party headquarters had played games. My sister’s name was missing from the ballot. It was a painful and shocking moment for our family. We had invested heavily—emotionally, financially, and politically—in her ambitions. The intention of the detractors was clear: to lock her out of the contest entirely. 

We had to think very fast. 

At that time, Cyrus Jirongo had acquired and joined the CORD through the Federal Party of Kenya as its party leader. I called my sister to Nairobi so that we could work on a solution. By then, the FORD–Kenya nomination process had already been rigged in favour of her opponent. A friend advised that Hon. Jirongo, through his Federal Party, could help. 

When my sister arrived in the city, my wife, our then young daughter, and I drove to the Federal Party headquarters. We found Jirongo there, and he welcomed us warmly. He was seated with the Member of Parliament for Bumula, Jack Wamboka, who had also come to seek the Federal Party of Kenya ticket. On Hon. Jirongo’s instructions, John Mukewa, a senior party official, processed all my sister’s documentation. 

As a result of this intervention, my sister made it onto the ballot. 

She fought hard and eventually finished second in an election characterised by open hooliganism, intimidation, and blatant interference with the electoral process. Though she lost, it was evident that without Jirongo’s intervention, she would never have made it onto the ballot at all, given the machinations of dark forces. Jirongo also supported my sister and other Federal Party candidates with campaign resources. 

In 2014, during the Mathare by-election, I sought political support from various Luhya leaders. I was looking for both a political party and the backing of influential leaders. One advised me to step down in favour of a candidate he had already endorsed. Another simply wished me well. Another went to the headquarters of one of the parties in an attempt to help me secure a ticket. 

I then sought an appointment with Jirongo. When we met, I was considering a Federal Party ticket. He told me candidly that it would be an easy win if we could raise Sh20 million. He encouraged me and assured me of his support but, with rare honesty, advised that the Federal Party might not be ideal because some of its young officials were not very straightforward. 

He instead suggested that he link me up with Martin Andati to secure a ticket from the party led by the late Hamisi Omukanda. He gave me another appointment, during which I met Martin Andati and Ken Butiko. From that point, the late Hamisi Omukanda, Martin Andati, Ken Butiko, and Chris Mugwanga came in strongly to push the agenda of Luhya support for me under the Maendeleo Development Party (MDP). They stood by me. 

Even though we were unable to raise the Sh20 million required to win the seat at that time, I deeply appreciated Jirongo’s goodwill, honesty, and genuine intention to support my ambitions. 

After the 2022 General Election, some of us lost our jobs as a result of supporting the late Raila Odinga. During those difficult times, my friend John Mukewa suggested that we seek Jirongo’s counsel. We met him, and he encouraged us to keep working hard. He often narrated his own journey—where he came from and the long road he walked to greatness—stories that instilled resilience and hope. 

Nine months ago, we met again to condole with him following the loss of his daughter. He made a powerful and deeply honest speech, openly reflecting on his family and personal struggles. It was yet another moment that revealed the true measure of the man he was. 

Today, I slept late and therefore woke up late, only to find many missed calls, including from people who had not called me in years. I initially thought there was good breaking news in my favour. As I returned the calls, I realised it was about Jirongo. My wife and my daughter—who had once met him—learned of the sad news as I spoke on the phone. 

Go well, CJ.