Anne Jirongo, the wife of the late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, has emotionally narrated her final interaction with her husband, moments she says still feel unreal days after his sudden death.
Speaking publicly for the first time during a memorial service held on Saturday at a CITAM church in Nairobi, Anne recalled a chain of events that began with unease on the night Jirongo died and ended with devastating confirmation from police officers in Naivasha.
She revealed that she struggled to sleep that night, explaining that she sensed something was wrong even before receiving a phone call linked to the accident. According to her, the disturbing feeling lingered into the early hours of the morning.
“At around midnight, I woke up and could not fall back asleep. By 3 a.m., I received a call from my husband’s phone, but it was not him speaking,” Anne recounted.
“The caller asked if I knew Cyrus Jirongo, and I told him he was my husband.”
She initially dismissed the information as a prank after being informed that Jirongo had been involved in a road accident in Naivasha, noting that he had not planned to travel that night.
Anne went on to narrate that the last time she physically saw her husband was on December 12 during Jamhuri Day. She explained that Jirongo had called her twice that afternoon, requesting to see her before heading to meet National
Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
She said they briefly met at a supermarket parking area, where she stepped into his car and the two held a short conversation before he left, saying he needed to return to his office and later attend a meeting.
Later that day, Jirongo contacted her again via FaceTime, explaining that he had abandoned plans to go back to the office and was instead resting at home. Anne said that conversation, which happened at around 4 p.m., would unknowingly be their last.
“I saw him seated on a chair. He told me he had been asleep for about two hours, and that was the final time we spoke,” she said.
Cyrus Jirongo lost his life in the early hours of December 13 after his Mercedes-Benz collided with a public service vehicle along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway.
The bus was reportedly headed toward Western Kenya at the time of the accident.
After receiving confirmation of the incident, Anne said she travelled to Naivasha with her daughter and a few of Jirongo’s friends in hopes of finding him alive. Upon arrival, police officers informed them that the former legislator had succumbed to his injuries.
Her account came days after Speaker Moses Wetang’ula also revealed that he met Jirongo on the evening of December 12, saying they spent several hours together before parting ways late at night.
As mourning continues, questions have emerged surrounding the circumstances of Jirongo’s death. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has since launched fresh investigations, even as preliminary postmortem findings indicate that he died after sustaining severe chest injuries.
Jirongo will be laid to rest on Tuesday, December 30, at his rural home in Lumakanda, Lugari, Kakamega County.
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