Cyrus Shakhalaga Khwa Jirongo, popularly Cyrus Jirongo, is a politician and a former Member of Parliament in Kenya. Between 1978 and 1981 he went to

Mang'u High School Mang'u High School is a Kenyan Roman Catholic National High School established in 1925, located in Kiambu County along the Nairobi-Thika Highway from Thika, Kenya. Mang'u High School is ranked among the top schools nationwide in Kenya Certifi ...

. He became the chairman of AFC Leopards football club in 1991. He is leader of the United Democratic Party.

Political career

YK 92

In 1992 he led the

Youth for Kanu '92 Youth for Kanu '92 was a lobby group of politicians from the Kenya African National Union that was consolidated with the stated aim of rallying support and funding for the, then incumbent president of Kenya Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, in Kenya's fir ...

(YK '92) movement supporting the then ruling KANU party ahead of the first multiparty elections in Kenya.

1997-2001 Parliamentary Career

He became an MP at the 1997 elections, when he won the

Lugari Constituency Lugari Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of twelve constituencies in Kakamega County, and the only constituency in the former Lugari District Lugari District was one of the seventy-one districts of Kenya, districts of Ken ...

seat. Two years later he fell out with KANU and was associated with the unregistered

United Democratic Movement The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is a centre-left, social-democratic, South African political party, formed by a prominent former National Party leader, Roelf Meyer (who has since resigned from the UDM), a former African National Congress ...

party. Nevertheless, ahead of the

2002 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2002. * 2002 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2002 Comorian presidential election * 2002 East Timorese presidential election * 2002 Fijian municipal election * 2002 Hong Kong Chief Executive election * ...

, he was appointed the Rural Development Minister. At the elections he represented KANU but was defeated by

Enoch Kibunguchy Enoch () ''Henṓkh''; ar, أَخْنُوخ ', ommonly in Qur'ānic literature ' is a biblical figure and Patriarchs (Bible)">patriarch prior to Noah's flood, and the son of Jared (biblical figure), Jared and father of Methuselah. He was of th ...

of NARC.

2007-2012 Parliamentary Return

He formed a new political party known as

Kenya African Democratic Development Union The Kenya African Democratic Development Union (KADDU) is a political party in Kenya. History KADDU was established in 2006 by former MP Cyrus Jirongo and Mr. Humphrey Aluda. In the 2007 general elections it nominated 97 candidates, but rece ...

(KADDU) and successfully reclaimed the Lugari Constituency seat at the

2007 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2007. * Electoral calendar 2007 * Elections in 2007 * 2007 United Nations Security Council election Africa * 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress * 2007 Algerian legislative elec ...

. The elections were followed by political crisis in Kenya which was resolved by a broad coalition government. KADDU is the only parliamentary party not taking part in the government and Jirongo is the sole MP for the party. In his bid to become Kenya's fourth president, he had been identified with the URP and more recently New FORD-Kenya, before formally joining the Federal Party of Kenya

2013 Presidential Run

Jirongo declared an interest in running for the Kenya Presidential seat in the 2013 Kenyan Presidential election. He eventually opted to run for the

Kakamega County Kakamega County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya and borders Vihiga County to the South, Siaya County to the West, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties to the North and Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties to the East. Its capital an ...

Senate seat and support the right Hon. Raila Odinga's bid for the presidency. He lost the bid to Dr.

Bonny Khalwale Bonny Khalwale is a Kenyan politician, the current Senator for Kakamega County and a former medical doctor. Personal details Khalwale, was chairman of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee in the 9th Kenyan Parliament, where he made a reput ...

2017 general elections

In the

2017 Kenyan general election General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017 to elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate. They coincided with the 2017 Kenyan local elections which elected Governors and representatives in the devolved governmen ...

s Jirongo vied for the presidency under the United Democratic Party. He garnered approximately 11,000 votes which were 0.07% of the total votes in the elections.

2022 general elections

The United Democratic Party contested the

2022 Kenyan general election General elections are scheduled to be held in Kenya on 9 August 2022. Voters will elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate, county governors and members of the 47 county assemblies. Background The Constitution of Kenya ...

as part of Azimio La Umoja, and elected two MPs. Jirongo congratulated William Ruto on his victory.

Personal life

He is polygamous and has four active wives, the first one is a Kalenjin, Joan Chemutai Kimeto (Divorced), second is an

Agikuyu The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The te ...

, Christine Nyokabi Kimani, third is a Kamba, Anne Kanini and the fourth is a Maasai, Anne Lanoi Pertet (Active wife).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jirongo, Cyrus Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Kenya African National Union politicians United Democratic Movement (Kenya) politicians Government ministers of Kenya Kenyan Luhya people Alumni of Mang'u High School Candidates for President of Kenya Leaders of political parties in Kenya