NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 27 – Former Jubilee vice chairperson David Murathe has credited the late Cyrus Jirongo with playing a decisive role in shaping Kenya’s political succession, saying it was Jirongo’s persistent pressure on former President Daniel Arap Moi that ultimately paved the way for Uhuru Kenyatta to ascend to the presidency.
Speaking during Jirongo’s requiem mass, Murathe described the former Lugari MP as a visionary political strategist whose influence has often been misunderstood.
“It is Jirongo who made Uhuru president. He stuck bumper to bumper with Nyayo at a time when many powerful forces were fighting that outcome,” Murathe said.
He recalled the turbulent succession politics of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when several senior leaders were positioning themselves as Moi’s preferred successor.
According to Murathe, Jirongo relentlessly pushed Moi to the point where the retired president publicly declared Kenyatta as his choice during a rally in Mt Elgon.
“Everybody was saying ‘I’m the oneSaitoti, Kalonzo, Musalia, Ngala but Jirongo pushed Nyayo until he announced it. After that, everything collapsed,” Murathe said.
Beyond politics, Murathe portrayed Jirongo as a big thinker with an expansive global outlook highlighting the mega development deals he was pursuing in Uganda and Libya before his death.
He cited projects ranging from reconstruction plans for Libya to real estate developments in Ruai and carbon credit initiatives in the region.
“Cyrus worked out big, big deals some real, some in the sky but give him a pen and paper and he would craft a multi-billion-dollar idea,” he said.
Murathe said Jirongo’s overriding concern was national stability and visionary leadership, even when that meant stepping on powerful toes.
“He loved that this country be stable and that its leadership think beyond the present,” he said.
In a personal reflection, Murathe revealed he had spoken to Jirongo just a day before the fatal accident, exchanging light-hearted messages and holiday wishes when he alerted him on controversies posted on one of his fake Facebook accounts.
. “I’m sure wherever he is, he’s smiling down at us. He has rested, and God’s time is always final,” he said.
Murathe acknowledged lingering questions surrounding Jirongo’s death but urged acceptance despite all the issues raised.
“We may not understand everything, but we do not question God’s will. What we know is that we have lost a hero and a visionary leader,” he said.
Jirongo will be laid to rest in Lumakanda in Kakamega county where political leaders, friends and supporters are expected to attend the final resting journey.
