Newspapers on Tuesday, December 16, highlighted various issues, while the tragic death of the former Member of Parliament for Lugari, Cyrus Jirongo, dominated the headlines on the front pages.
Source: UGC
Elsewhere, newspapers reported on the division that seems to be emerging in Mt Kenya, with leaders from the east seeking to chart their political futures differently from their counterparts in the west.
1. Nation Today
The Taifa Today newspaper reported on the possible division in the Mt Kenya area towards the 2027 general election.
Local politics is taking a new turn as leaders from Mount Kenya East are pushing the agenda of political separation from Mount Kenya West before the 2027 elections.
Historically, the region has been voting as one union, where Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi (Mt. Kenya East) join the GEMA counties of Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Murang’a, Kiambu, Laikipia and Nakuru (Mt. Kenya West).
Since the beginning of multi-party politics in 1992, Mount Kenya has largely spoken with one voice, except for the split between Mwai Kibaki and Kenneth Matiba in 1992 and the 2002 elections where Kiambu supported him. Uhuru Kenyatta against Kibaki.
However, that culture now seems to be shaken by the Minister of Public Service Geoffrey Ruku and the Governor of Embu Cecily Mbarire, who are encouraging Mount Kenya East to choose its own political direction.
The two are associates of the Deputy President Kithur Kindikiwho is planning to be President William Ruto’s running mate in 2027.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and he seeks to strengthen his influence by uniting the votes of all Mt Kenya regardless of the east and west division.
“Mountain Kenya East must manage itself and protect its economic and political interests. If we divide the Mount if necessary, then East will stand alone,” Taifa Leo quoted Ruku as saying on December 14.
Ruku claimed that residents of the east have been marginalized in development while most of the benefits go to the west.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be carried away and exploited while our colleagues are the ones who benefit,” he said.
He mentioned Kindiki’s current position as Deputy President as proof that the east can decide its political destiny.
He accused Gachagua of divisive politics and emphasized that the priority is to ensure that Mount Kenya East benefits from welfare projects and reduce poverty.
Ruku also claimed to be under the government of Kenya Firstthe region has made progress, citing the rise in the price of tea and coffee.
The momentum increased after Kindiki, Mbarire and Ruku achieved the victory of UDA candidate Leo Muthende in the Mbeere North by-election on November 27, where he defeated Newton Karish of DP who was supported by Gachagua and opposition leaders.
2. Daily Nation
The Daily Nation detailed the last moments of the late Cyrus Jirongo before he died in a fatal road accident in Karai, Naivasha, at dawn on Saturday, December 13.
Sources told the newspaper that on Friday evening, December 12, Jirongo was with his girlfriend in Nairobi before taking her to Naivasha by car.
The boda boda driver said that he saw a white Mercedes-Benz car stop near the hotel at 1:30 in the morning, a woman got out before Jirongo continued his journey to Nairobi.
“I saw a white Mercedes-Benz stop and a woman got down from the front seat. I had also dropped off a passenger there. When I looked at who the driver was, I realized it was Jirongo. He spoke to the woman for a short time, less than a minute, and then left,” The boda boda was quoted by the Daily Nation.
Police are investigating his movements between 11pm, when he was last seen at a restaurant in Karen, and 2am when the accident happened.
A traffic officer from the Rift Valley said regular police arrived first, followed by traffic police who recorded the incident and cleared the road.
There was no list of the items found as there were no suspicions of crime, although documents found in the car confirmed Jirongo’s identity.
Witnesses gave conflicting accounts. A driver said he saw Jirongo’s car parked on the side of the road as if he was helping himself. The journalist noted the presence of female items in the wreckage of the car, including an earring.
East African Oilgas Karai Fuel Station attendant said Jirongo entered the station at around 2:15am, turned around at the pump without refueling, then entered the road on the wrong side.
A few minutes later, he heard a loud bang. “A few minutes later, I heard a loud noise from the road. His Mercedes-Benz had collided head-on with a Climax Company bus… the car was dragged for several meters before the bus stopped,” he was quoted as saying by Daily Nation.
When he arrived at the scene of the accident, he found Jirongo bent over the steering wheel with severe head injuries. The bus driver, Titus Kamau, who was transporting 65 passengers to Busia, confirmed the information, saying he tried to avoid the accident without success.
The police suggested that Jirongo may have had his legal gun, although it was not found.
The family announced that three coroners—one from the family, one from the clan and one from the state—will conduct a joint investigation to ensure transparency.
3. The Standard
The Standard newspaper highlighted the plan for the autopsy of the late Jirongo to determine the real cause of his death.
Family members, close friends and the funeral committee are expected to make a decision on Tuesday, December 16. The chairman of the funeral committee, Philip Kisia, said only the date and place of the funeral had been agreed upon.
“We will update about the autopsy tomorrow afternoon. It has not been completed for several reasons, but we are finalizing the preparations. For now, what we have agreed is that Jirongo will not be buried in his Kitale farm but in his village Lumakanda,” Kisia was quoted.
His body has been kept in the cold storage of Lee Funeral Home pending a detailed joint investigation between the government and the family.
Former Vihiga Senator, George Khaniri, said the body will not be treated with preservative until the investigation is completed.
“We will not apply medicine until we know what happened and if there was anything in the blood or in the body that will help to understand the cause of the accident,” he said.
The newspaper also reported that Jirongo’s friends hired independent accident investigators, whose initial findings point to flaws in the police report.
Questions have been raised as to why Jirongo, known for his focus, headed to Naivasha after leaving Karen at 11:15pm without any official appointment.
Khaniri also explained that Jirongo had a procedure to release his drivers at 6 pm except when he was traveling outside Nairobi.
4. The Star
The Star newspaper highlighted the small number of citizens who registered in the voter registration exercise run by the IEBC.
The Commission said that Gen Z youths do not show up in large numbers in the exercise. To deal with the situation, IEBC is using a strategy based on statistics, conducting specific research in 24 by-elections to determine the reasons for low participation instead of accelerating citizenship education in general.
The absence of young people in registration centers contradicts their strong participation in social networks and public protests.
IEBC Commissioner Anne Nderitu said they expected young people who were at the forefront of reform movements and anti-government protests to be motivated to register and vote, but the situation has been different.
According to the IEBC, 57 percent of eligible voters are under the age of 35. As of December 5, only 148,315 new voters had been registered, a figure well below expectations.
IEBC Chairman Erastus Ethekon said the goal is to register 6.8 million new voters before the 2027 elections, to increase the number of voters beyond the 22.1 million who are there now.
According to the 2019 census, about eight million young people will reach voting age by 2027, making them the most important group for any presidential candidate.
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