Cyrus Jirongo Recounts Rejecting Moi's Nomination Gave Moses Wetang'ula Political Head Start

Posted on 23 Oct 2024
Cyrus Jirongo Recounts Rejecting Moi's Nomination Gave Moses Wetang'ula Political Head Start
  • Cyrus Jirongo is a former Lugari MP and is remembered for being an insider of the Kenya African National Union party
  • Jirongo claimed he rejected a nomination and ministerial position offer from former president Daniel Moi in 1992
  • He claimed that it was by rejecting the offer that Moi opted to nominate National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula in 1993

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Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

Former powerful Kenya's independence political party insider, Cyrus Jirongo, has opened up about how he contributed to Speaker Moses Wetang'ula's political career.

Who is Cyrus Jirongo?

Jirongo is widely remembered for leading the youth wing of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party, popularly known as the Youth for KANU 92 (YK92).

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In an interview with Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna, Jirongo opened up about his relationship with former president Daniel Moi, who ruled Kenya for 24 years as KANU's party leader.

Jirongo, who served twice as Lugari MP, denied claims that he was in government for long, adding that he was never interested in becoming a political leader.

"I was in government for one year only. That was when I served as minister during Moi’s presidency in 2001," Jirongo said.

Cyrus Jirongo speaks about Moses Wetang'ula's political career

According to Jirongo, Moi had severally enticed him to enter the political field in vain, as he did not think he wanted to do that.

"Moi nominated me to be an MP and gave me a ministerial position, but I refused because I did not want to be a politician," he said.

The seasoned politician, who has vied for governorship and presidency before, said his rejection of Moi's offers opened doors for the former president's lawyer and current Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang'ula.

"My rejection of the offer is how Wetang’ula was nominated into parliament. I gave Wetang’ula my nomination in 1992," added Jirongo.

He explained that after refusing the offer in 1992, he fell out with YK92 and the then head of state.

In the fallout, he said, the state machinery lined against him, and he had to find a way to protect himself by getting into parliament.

"I had to fight to get to parliament to protect myself. In 1997. The system machinery came after me," explained Jirongo.

TUKO.co.ke, as corroborated by Mzalendo.com, understands that Wetang'ula was nominated KANU MP from 1993 to 1997 before successfully vying for the Sirisia MP seat in 1997, 2002, and 2007.

During his tenure as Sirisia MP, he served as Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2007 and then as Foreign Affairs Minister until 2011.

He then transitioned to becoming a Bungoma Senator in 2013 and 2017. As a senator, Wetang'ula served as Senate minority leader during his entire first term but was ousted halfway through his second term.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula (l) and former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula (l) and former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.

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