Detectives have officially ruled out foul play in the death of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, terming the fatal December 13 crash a “tragic traffic accident” just hours before his burial. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced late Monday that exhaustive probes into the collision on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway yielded no evidence of assassination, a conclusion intended to quell swirling conspiracy theories.

The timing of the report—released on the eve of Jirongo’s interment in Lugari—has done little to silence the whispers in political corridors. While the state maintains the crash was an unfortunate twist of fate, the disconnect between the official narrative and the politician’s final movements continues to fuel speculation among his inner circle.

The ‘White Probox’ Cleared

DCI boss Mohammed Amin confirmed that homicide investigators had reconstructed the events leading to the 3 a.m. head-on collision at Karai, Naivasha. A key pillar of the conspiracy theories—a white Probox captured on CCTV trailing Jirongo’s Mercedes Benz—was investigated and cleared.

“We interviewed the occupants of the vehicle and established they were not involved in the incident,” Amin stated. “In light of the evidence gathered so far, there is nothing to show that Jirongo was murdered.”

Instead of a murder file, the DCI has recommended a public inquest to formally close the matter. The investigation concluded that Jirongo’s vehicle drifted into the path of an oncoming passenger bus, a common yet deadly occurrence on that stretch of the highway.

The Unanswered Detour

Despite the police findings, the political fraternity remains unsettled. The central puzzle, articulated by former Westlands MP Fred Gumo, concerns Jirongo’s inexplicable detour. On the fateful night, Jirongo reportedly left Karen around 11:30 p.m., ostensibly heading to his home in Gigiri—a distance of about 20 kilometers within Nairobi.

“We want to know what really happened,” Gumo told mourners earlier this week. “He left Karen for Gigiri, yet he was found dead hours later in Naivasha, driving back towards Nairobi. What was he doing in Naivasha in the middle of the night?”

This 90-kilometer deviation remains the crux of the suspicion. Family members and allies like former Senator George Khaniri have demanded a more granular timeline of those missing hours, arguing that a seasoned operative like Jirongo would not make such a journey without a clear purpose.

A Send-off with Traditional Rites

As the country prepares to bid farewell to the man synonymous with the YK’92 era—and the 500-shilling note that colloquially bears his name—cultural protocols are taking precedence over police reports. Elders from the Tiriki community have insisted on burying Jirongo with a torch, a ritual believed to cast light on any hidden enemies.

“If his death was natural, the torch will just burn out,” one elder explained at the Kitale homestead. “But if a man’s hand was involved, the fire will follow them.”

The burial ceremony is underway today at his Lumakanda home, where thousands of mourners, including President William Ruto and other top leaders, are gathered. For a man who defined an era of high-stakes politics and financial fluidity, it is perhaps fitting that his final chapter is marked not by silence, but by a loud, lingering question mark.