The late former cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo and Lugari MP…..Photo /courtesy
By IP reporter
KAKAMEGA, Kenya
“Those customs were overtaken by time,” former Westlands MP Fred Gumo said curtly, drawing a clear line between modern funeral planning and deeply held Tiriki traditions.
Gumo, who chairs the funeral steering committee for the late businessman and politician Cyrus Jirongo, was responding to demands by Tiriki elders who clashed with the committee at Jirongo’s Kitale residence over the handling of the body.
The standoff followed a memorial service held at CITAM Valley Road in Nairobi, after which Jirongo’s body was transported to his Kitale home for an overnight vigil and public viewing.
Tiriki elders present accused the steering committee of deliberately ignoring critical cultural rites. Speaking to the media,Tiriki elder Julius Chungani said Tiriki custom draws a sharp distinction between those who die naturally and those believed to have been murdered.
“If a person is killed or suspected to have been killed, the body must not enter the homestead through the main gate,” Chungani said. “An opening is made in the fence to chase away spirits that could bring more violent deaths to the family.”
The elders insisted the ritual be observed when the hearse arrived. Gumo rejected the demand, arguing that such practices no longer apply in modern society. A brief but tense standoff followed, with the committee — reportedly supported by the family — prevailing.
The decision angered the elders, some of whom warned of cultural consequences for ignoring tradition.
Meanwhile, social media speculation has swirled around whether Jirongo would be buried “with a torch,” a ritual often associated with revenge symbolism. Cultural historians note, however, that torches only came into use in the region around 1830. Among the Luhya community, tradition instead held that a porcupine quill was placed with the deceased as a symbolic weapon to avenge their death.
Jirongo’s body will lie in state at Lumakanda headquarters on Monday for public viewing before being transferred after sunset to the Mbaya homestead for an overnight vigil. Burial is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025.
As elders and planners continue to disagree on tradition versus time, one thing remains certain: even in death, Jirongo has managed to summon both politics and controversy.
May his soul rest in eternal tranquility.
