Emotional Scenes in Kitale as Cyrus Jirongo’s Body Arrives Ahead of Burial

The late Cyrus Jirongo, a once-dominant and deeply polarising figure in Kenyan politics, has begun his final journey home after his body arrived at Kitale Airstrip on Sunday evening, December 28. 

The arrival marked the emotional return of a man whose life blended political power, controversy, wealth, and eventual personal decline.

Jirongo’s remains were flown from Nairobi to Trans Nzoia County, where close family members, friends, and a small group of loyal supporters gathered quietly to receive him. The mood at the airstrip was subdued, reflecting the complex legacy he leaves behind, admired by some, questioned by others, but impossible to ignore.

According to family sources, Jirongo’s body will lie overnight at his Kitale residence before being transported to his rural home in Lugari on Monday, December 29. His burial is scheduled for Tuesday, December 30, at his Lugari homestead, where community members are expected to turn up in large numbers to pay their last respects.

The family has opted for a carefully coordinated programme that balances public recognition with private reflection. 

While Jirongo once thrived in the public spotlight, his final days were marked by relative quiet, making the farewell both intimate and symbolic.

Cyrus Jirongo rose to national prominence in the early 1990s as a key figure behind Youth for KANU ’92, a powerful lobby group that played a central role in President Daniel arap Moi’s re-election campaign. 

His political boldness, flamboyant lifestyle, and influence in state-linked business dealings made him one of the most talked-about figures of his generation.

However, the latter years of his life painted a different picture. Once associated with immense wealth and power, Jirongo reportedly struggled financially, living modestly and away from the political limelight. 

Despite having four wives, he spent much of his later life in Nairobi, relying on close friends while keeping in touch with his family.

Shortly after the body was received in Kitale, tensions reportedly emerged among elders over traditional rites surrounding how the body should enter the homestead. 

Elders from Jirongo’s Tiriki community insisted on specific cultural protocols, arguing that traditions must be observed to honour the dead and protect the family from future misfortune. 

The disagreement underscored how deeply culture still shapes burial practices, even for nationally known figures.

Jirongo’s death in a tragic road accident earlier this month shocked many Kenyans and reopened conversations about his legacy, one defined by ambition, contradiction, influence, and controversy. 

As his body rests in Kitale before the final journey to Lugari, Kenya prepares to bid farewell to a man who, for better or worse, helped shape the country’s political history.

His burial will not only mark the end of a life but also the closing of a chapter that mirrors the complexities of Kenya’s political evolution.