By the time Cyrus Jirongo passed away, he was no longer living under the same roof with any of his four wives. In an interview published by the Nation in 2010, Jirongo openly defended polygamy, but insisted that such a decision ought to be made with the involvement, approval and consent of the first wife.
One of the most extensive sections of the story of Cyrus Jirongo—the former Lugari Member of Parliament who is scheduled to be laid to rest on December 30, 2025—centres on his intricate and often turbulent family life within a polygamous setting.
Ironically, despite having multiple wives, Jirongo spent his final days separated from all four of them. Although he resided in Nairobi’s upscale Gigiri neighbourhood, the residence was not his own. It belonged to a long-time political ally, one of the few individuals who stood by the former MP and Cabinet minister even during his most difficult periods.
The wealth and political influence Jirongo once commanded had largely disappeared, but he remained hopeful that his circumstances would improve. During his stay in Gigiri, the once-powerful figure who rose to prominence through leading the Youth for Kanu ’92 (YK’92) campaign machine for President Daniel arap Moi lived modestly, sharing the house only with his personal driver and cook. At the same time, he was constantly strategising on how to recover from the severe financial decline that had come to define the last decade of his life.
In 1986, Kenya was grappling with an economic crisis and implementing structural adjustment programmes dictated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in order to access loans. Employment opportunities were scarce, and disposable income was even harder to come by.
Many young people aged around 25 were either recent university graduates desperately searching for white-collar jobs, or already employed but struggling to survive on meagre wages.
Against this backdrop stood Cyrus Shakhalaga khwa Jirongo, who appeared to be thriving despite the economic hardship. He was earning enough to rent a home in Phase II of Ngei Estate in Lang’ata, Nairobi, owned a BMW saloon car, and enjoyed a lifestyle that included several comforts many could only dream of at the time.
A year before, Jirongo had encountered Joan Chemutai Kimeto, who lived nearby and was the sister of two of his close friends in Ngei Phase II. Beyond being a neighbour, she soon became the woman who captured his heart.
In December 1985, while visiting his friends, they introduced him to Ms Kimeto, then just 18 years old and fresh out of high school. At that point, she had ambitions of travelling to the United States to pursue further education, a plan supported by her family—until Jirongo entered her life and changed its direction.
The couple were fully aware that her family would disapprove of their relationship. Matters became even more complicated in 1986 when Ms Kimeto became pregnant.
Believing their love offered a solution, they decided to run away together to avoid confronting her family and to continue building a life as a couple. They eloped to Mombasa.
“We literally ran away together and went to Mombasa. My parents were not pleased at all. I had plans to go abroad and study further, but once I met Cyrus, everything changed,” Ms Kimeto recalled during an interview with the Nation in Nairobi on Friday.
However, Ms Kimeto’s family was well-connected and managed to trace the couple’s whereabouts. From nearly 500 kilometres away, Jirongo took responsibility and informed her family that she was pregnant and that he was accountable.
A temporary truce was reached, allowing the two to return to Nairobi so that both families could sit down and resolve the matter.
“That’s when Cyrus told my parents, ‘I know the situation, but I will take responsibility and I won’t abandon her.’ We then travelled back to Nairobi and met my parents,” Ms Kimeto said.
Members of Jirongo’s family also travelled to Nairobi, where dowry negotiations were conducted, paving the way for the couple to formalise their union.
At the time, Jirongo’s sense of status was reflected in his “contacts.” If you asked him for a phone number, he would give you three—a remarkable feat in an era when most people did not even own a single landline. Ironically, none of the lines belonged to him personally.
Instead, the numbers corresponded to three public telephone booths—two located along Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s central business district and one in Otiende Estate. During the day, Jirongo positioned himself near whichever booth was most convenient and would dash to answer calls the moment the phone rang.
Those public booths effectively functioned as his offices. Although technically public property, they were, for all practical purposes, his own.
“He didn’t have a formal office. There was this well-known phone booth along Moi Avenue, and that’s the number he would give people. Whenever someone called, he would run to answer and conduct his business from there,” Ms Kimeto explained.
Through deals made via those phone booths, Jirongo managed to earn an income that sustained and sheltered his young family.
“You could say Cyrus was a hustler. He was involved in many different businesses, and that’s when his upward trajectory really began,” she said.
In January 1992, Joe Kimkung, Fred Kiptanui, Joe Mwangale, Sammy Kogo Boit and Victor Kebenei devised a plan to establish a Kanu youth wing to campaign for President Moi’s re-election. According to veteran Nation journalist John Kamau, the group chose Jirongo as chairman of the organisation.
That appointment marked the turning point of his life—both the peak of his influence and the beginning of his downfall.
One evening, Jirongo went home and informed Ms Kimeto that he intended to venture into politics. Being a private person, she questioned whether he was certain about such a decision. Their previously quiet household soon became a hub of constant activity, open to visitors of all kinds.
Jirongo rarely turned anyone away—relatives, politicians, supporters or business associates alike.
“I had doubts and asked him if he was really sure about entering politics. He said he was. So I agreed to support him as his wife. The publicity and attention were frightening. He was the kind of person who could never say no to someone in need. He welcomed everyone. He was warm and generous. Yes, he had his intrigues, but he also had a very big heart,” Ms Kimeto said.
Despite his increasingly demanding schedule, Jirongo made it a point to go home for lunch every day, cherishing the time he spent eating with his family.
His political rise brought substantial financial rewards. There was enough money to cater for his immediate family, extended relatives and others he cared for. He eventually acquired office space at Development Bank House, where his company, Cypper Enterprises, operated. Ms Kimeto served as one of the firm’s directors, though the business later collapsed when his fortunes declined.
By the late 1990s, the tide had turned. Politically and commercially, Jirongo fell out of favour with the government of the day. After President Moi secured victory in the 1992 elections, YK’92 was disbanded, and Jirongo soon found himself targeted by the administration.
Government payments owed to his companies stalled, contracts were frozen, and auctioneers frequently pursued his assets.
During this period, Jirongo began introducing additional women to Ms Kimeto as his wives, gradually transforming their marriage into a polygamous one.
She said the development came as a shock, as she had been accustomed to a life centred on just her husband and their children.
At one stage, as many as 18 women were presented to her as wives. The emotional strain became overwhelming, prompting Ms Kimeto to consider stepping away from the situation.
An opportunity arose for her to continue her education in the United States, and she travelled there in early 2000. She was taken aback by Jirongo’s response when she shared her plans.
“I told him I wanted to go to the US to further my studies, and he fully supported me. He paid for everything. For me, it was a chance to pursue education I had missed out on after high school because I got married so young,” she said.
By the time she left Kenya, four women had formally become Jirongo’s wives. Alongside Ms Kimeto were Ann Kanini, Christine Nyokabi and Ann Lanoi.
In his 2010 Nation interview, Jirongo reiterated his belief in polygamy, but emphasised that it should only be practised with the knowledge and consent of the first wife.
While Ms Kimeto was in the US, her children remained in Kenya under Jirongo’s care, together with one of the other wives.
She returned to Nairobi in 2005 and chose not to go back to America, wanting instead to stay close to her children.
According to her, Jirongo showed no discrimination among his children, regardless of which woman they were born to. He treated them all equally, ensured they had decent homes, attended good schools and never lacked food.
Over the past decade, Jirongo battled mounting debts as he attempted to rebuild his once-formidable wealth—at a time when the Sh500 note famously bore his nickname. His efforts were unsuccessful, and auctioneers seized many of his properties, including the matrimonial home in Gigiri.
Ms Kimeto said that although they lived apart, she and Jirongo remained in contact. She last saw and spoke with him three weeks ago at his office in Westlands.
The substance of that final meeting, she said, is something she chooses to keep private—shared only between herself and Jirongo, a man she remembers as complex and imperfect, yet friendly, resourceful, and ultimately a loving husband and father.
