A completely new twist has emerged regarding what exactly happened when Mr. Cyrus Jirongo crashed along the busy Nairobi–Nakuru Highway on Saturday.
Ephraim Cheptek, the security guard at the petrol station where Jirongo had briefly entered and exited before crashing directly in front of the station, now says the Climax Coaches bus driver did not tell the truth as he witnessed it.
According to the guard, Jirongo drove into the petrol station and then left without refuelling, and it was after this that the accident occurred.
He added that the late Jirongo was not overtaking any vehicle and that the road was clear at the time.
This new account now contradicts the bus driver’s earlier claims that Jirongo was overtaking dangerously when he rammed into the bus.
“At the time he was hit by the bus, I was the only person awake, and I clearly saw what took place,” Cheptek told journalists.
The guard further revealed that Mr. Jirongo drove into the petrol station in a very unusual manner, as if he intended to refuel, but only slowed down and then drove away.
“When he entered the petrol station, he slowed down, and just as he appeared about to refuel his vehicle, he drove away and rejoined the road. The way he approached the petrol station was unusual,” the guard added.
He also clarified that the highway was calm and clear, with no gridlock on either lane, noting that the Christmas rush had not yet begun and that it is normal for the road to be calm at that time of the morning.
Cheptek stated that only a few vehicles are usually on that road between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.
He further disclosed that no vehicle was trailing Jirongo’s Mercedes before the accident and that traffic only started building up immediately after the fatal crash.
“The road was calm and there was no traffic. It was after the accident that other vehicles began lining up, causing a traffic jam on this road,” Cheptek said.
Cheptek’s account directly contradicts that of the driver of the ill-fated bus, who had earlier alleged that the politician was driving from the petrol station when he noticed heavy traffic on his lane and decided to overtake.
“When I tried to save him from crashing into my vehicle, I feared my bus might roll over, so I stopped and let him ram into it. When the police arrived, that is when I learned the victim was Honourable Jirongo,” the bus driver recounted.
These two firsthand accounts have now thrown a spanner into the works as family and friends continue to question the circumstances surrounding the accident and how Jirongo found himself in Naivasha, several kilometres from Nairobi, where he was expected to be after spending the evening with friends in Karen.
Politician Moses Wetang’ula confirmed that he was with Jirongo in Karen the evening before the tragic news.
Speaking to the media, he questioned why his late friend decided to drive to Naivasha that night and what could have motivated the journey.
Another politician, George Khaniri, also wondered how this was possible, noting that Jirongo was expected to be at his Gigiri residence and not travelling to the village.
He revealed that he drove to Naivasha at 3:30 a.m. to collect the body after receiving an emergency call from Jirongo’s wife, Anne.
The body of the deceased is currently lying at Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi, awaiting a post-mortem examination before being flown to Lumakanda, Lugari in Kakamega County for burial.