NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 30 — A dramatic cultural spectacle unfolded at the home of former Cabinet Minister and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo in Lumakanda, Kakamega County, on Monday as Senator Boni Khalwale performed traditional Luhya rites that have stirred debate across the country.
Khalwale, adorned in traditional regalia and flanked by Isukuti drummers, arrived at the homestead in procession chanting Luhya dirges invoking deep cultural symbolism tied to Tiriki beliefs.
At the centre of attention was a spotlight (torch), a tradition among some Tiriki and broader Luhya subgroups used in burial rites when the circumstances of a death are contested.
The ritual involves placing a burning torch with the deceased as a symbolic summons for truth and justice with the belief that once the light extinguishes, it leads the community to those responsible for the person’s death.
Although Khalwale did not place the torch inside the coffin, he stood by Jirongo’s casket invoking Jirongo’s name to pursue his alleged killers as mourners gathered at his homestead ahead of his burial on Tuesday.
Contest
The torch ritual has drawn mixed reactions, with some community leaders and politicians defending it as part of cultural heritage, while others—including members of the Tiriki community—have rejected its inclusion, saying it does not represent mainstream Tiriki funeral practices.
Jirongo, 64, died in a road accident on December 13, when his vehicle collided head-on with a bus on the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway near Karai, Naivasha. Officials confirmed he succumbed to severe blunt force trauma from the crash.
Fred Gumo, chairman of the burial committee and former Westlands MP, defended the torch’s presence as a symbolic call for a thorough probe into Jirongo’s death.
“All the family is asking is for thorough investigations into his death; if it doesn’t happen, then the torch will work,” Gumo said, reflecting the emotions of those questioning the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Earlier, leaders, including DAP‑K leader Eugene Wamalwa, said the use of the torch aligned with local cultural beliefs and reiterated calls for transparent investigations into the former MP’s death.
