A heavy yet deeply reflective day unfolded in Lumakanda, Lugari, Kakamega County, as leaders, friends, and citizens gathered to say their final goodbyes to the late former Lugari MP, Cyrus Shakhalaga Jirongo. It was a farewell to a man who meant so much to so many \u2014 a brother, a friend, a father, a grandfather, and a true nationalist.
Jirongo was laid to rest at his home, closing a significant chapter in Kenya\u2019s political and social landscape. He will be remembered as a dynamic and fearless politician who captured national attention in his prime \u2014 a man whose agility, courage, and boldness extended well beyond politics into entrepreneurship and deep community engagement. His life served as a powerful reminder that leadership is not merely held in office, but lived through impact, conviction, and service to others.
Among those who paid tribute was Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia W. Mudavadi, who demonstrated characteristic maturity as he honoured his long-time friend while firmly refusing to be drawn into political exchanges sparked by earlier speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWe are here to mourn the late Jirongo,\u201d he stated calmly. \u201cWe are reflecting on his legacy and his contribution to humanity. Some speakers came on stage to talk about Musalia \u2014 but this day is not for Musalia. Today is for Jirongo. My day will come.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Mudavadi spoke of Jirongo not just as a political ally, but as a man whose journey was intertwined with his own:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cJirongo was my brother, my friend, and my political colleague \u2014 a man whose courage and conviction shaped many chapters of our journey.\u201d
He added, in deep <\/em><\/strong>respect:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe walked through many seasons together. Even when we differed politically, we never lost respect for each other as brothers.\u201d
In addressing issues raised by some speakers\u2014including remarks from former President Uhuru Kenyatta\u2014Mudavadi remained factual and composed. He clarified that Kenya enjoys a vibrant political space with 93 registered political parties, emphasizing that nothing hinders the formation of more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must appreciate that coalitions have been there and will continue to be there,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is democracy.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He further reminded mourners that a funeral is not the place for political confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cThe other questions raised by other speakers will be addressed in due course in a political space, not in a funeral where the family is mourning,\u201d he noted. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet he acknowledged that responding briefly to the former president was \u201cnecessary and sensible.\u201d
As the ceremony closed, heartfelt condolences were extended to the family.
May the Lord continue to comfort and strengthen Mama Anne Kanini, Mama Christine Nyokabi, Mama Anne Lanoi, their children, and all relatives. Poleni sana during this difficult time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, the day belonged to Jirongo \u2014 and Mudavadi\u2019s restraint reaffirmed his reputation as a leader who elevates moments of grief above politics, choosing unity, respect, and humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A heavy yet deeply reflective day unfolded in Lumakanda, Lugari, Kakamega County, as leaders, friends, and citizens gathered to say their final goodbyes to the late former Lugari MP, Cyrus Shakhalaga Jirongo. It was a farewell to a man who meant so much to so many \u2014 a brother, a friend, a father, a grandfather, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18887"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18892,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18887\/revisions\/18892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}