Grief engulfed CITAM Valley Road on December 27, 2025, as family, friends, political leaders, and mourners gathered for the requiem mass of former Lugari MP and businessman Cyrus Jirongo.
The emotional service was marked by moving tributes from Jirongo’s wife, children, and siblings, who recalled his final moments and the deep personal loss his sudden death has left behind.
Jirongo’s daughter, Jude Jirongo, broke down as she eulogised her father, describing him as a loving and ever-present parent whose guidance anchored the family.
“We will wait for you every day until we die,” Jude said, drawing tears from mourners inside the packed church.
She said the family is still struggling to come to terms with his absence, noting that life feels unreal without him.
Jirongo’s widow, Anne Jirongo, narrated the last day she spoke to her husband and how she later learned of his death.
She recalled that on December 12, Cyrus called her requesting to see her. At the time, she told him she was shopping, but he drove all the way to meet her. The two briefly spoke in a parking lot before he informed her that he was heading to his office to finish some work and later meet National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula. That was the last time Anne saw her husband alive.
Photo | Standard Newspaper
After they parted ways, she later missed a call from him. At midnight, she said she became unusually restless and overwhelmed by an unexplainable feeling that something was wrong.
She revealed that she even took a screenshot of her husband’s phone details after being consumed by a sense of finality.
At around 3am, Anne received a call from Naivasha Police, who inquired whether she knew the owner of a phone recovered from the scene of a road accident.
“At first, I thought it was a prank,” she said.
Moments later, officers informed her that Cyrus Jirongo had been involved in a fatal crash.
Anne immediately woke up her daughter, and together they drove to Naivasha, clinging to hope that he could still be rescued. She said she alerted Senator Boni Khalwale, who travelled with his spouse to support the family.
However, their hopes were shattered when they were informed that it was no longer a rescue mission and that Cyrus Jirongo had succumbed to his injuries.
“That is when I knew it was over,” Anne said, breaking down.
Jirongo’s sisters also paid tribute, reminding mourners that beyond his public life in politics and business, he was first and foremost a brother and a family man.
“To others, you were a politician and a giver, but to us, you were our blood — our brother,” they said.
The requiem mass brought together clergy, political leaders, business figures, and ordinary Kenyans, all united in mourning a man remembered for his influence, generosity, and devotion to family.
As the service came to an end, one message stood out clearly from the tributes: Cyrus Jirongo’s legacy will live on through the lives he touched and the family he leaves behind.
