“Nilikuwa Mtu Wake wa Mkono”: The Day Ruto Fell Out With Late Cyrus Jirongo

Former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo and President William Ruto once shared a close political bond during the formative years of Kenya’s multiparty politics, before their relationship later deteriorated into a public and personal political fallout.

The rift between the two became evident in June 2016 when then Deputy President William Ruto openly hit back at Jirongo over remarks linking him to the murder of slain businessman Jacob Juma.

Speaking at Tande Secondary School in Malava Constituency, Kakamega County, during the funeral service of former Cabinet Minister Soita Shitanda, Ruto dismissed Jirongo’s claims as bitter and unfounded, attributing them to resentment over his own political rise.

“My brother Jirongo gets annoyed with me because in the past I was his mtu wa mkono,” Ruto told mourners, using a Swahili phrase meaning handyperson. “It puzzles him how someone he once considered a junior rose to higher positions of power.”

Ruto was responding to statements made by Jirongo on May 12 during the requiem service of Jacob Juma, where the former legislator called for Ruto to be interrogated by the Criminal Investigations Department. Jirongo alleged that Juma had previously accused Ruto of being part of a plot to assassinate him, claims Ruto firmly denied.

Jirongo further claimed that Jacob Juma had once slapped Ruto, an incident he said marked the beginning of hostility between the two. He went on to liken Ruto to the biblical Cain, driven by jealousy against his brother Abel.

Ruto said Jirongo’s remarks were driven by bitterness over missed political opportunities.

“I acknowledge I was his junior, but politics is about strategy and planning,” Ruto said. “I advised him many times to be strategic and not rush, but he did not listen.”

The two were both members of the Youth for KANU 92 movement, a powerful lobby group that played a central role in President Daniel arap Moi’s re election during the 1992 General Election. While Jirongo was the public face and financial powerhouse of the movement, Ruto was then a junior mobiliser quietly building his political profile.

Jirongo’s flamboyant role in the campaign era earned him a popular nickname, with the five hundred shilling note being christened “Jirongo”, a reflection of his influence and generosity at the time.

Ruto contrasted their political journeys, saying he chose patience and long term planning, working closely with then President Uhuru Kenyatta as part of a deliberate strategy to prepare for the future.

“I know history, and that is why I do not quarrel with my friend Uhuru,” Ruto said, adding that poor political planning often leads to isolation.

Despite their past political differences, President Ruto has since mourned Jirongo following his death in a tragic road accident on December 13, 2025. In a heartfelt message, the President described the former legislator as a friend, a seasoned businessman and a consummate politician who lived life on his own terms and left an indelible mark on Kenya’s political landscape.

Ruto conveyed his condolences to Jirongo’s family and friends, noting that death had drawn a line under their past disagreements and reminding Kenyans of the complex political journeys that often shape the nation’s leaders.