Although popular wisdom in Kenya has it that the rich, powerful and controversial public figures do not die — they are always killed — there is a sense in which this aphorism is not too far from the truth. The death of politician Cyrus Jirongo in a 3am traffic crash on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway is a case in point.
For a start, the statement attributed to the bus driver, one Tiras Kamau, raises too many questions. On what basis, for instance, did he decide that it was safer for Jirongo’s car to ram into the bus than for him, the bus driver, to do his best to avoid a collision?
How come of the 67 passengers in the bus, none was injured? And why did none of them find it necessary to share an eyewitness account of what happened? They just evaporated into thin air just like that?
The driver also alleged that there was traffic jam at that hour and, to avoid it, Jirongo drove on the wrong side of the road, leading to the crash. Why was there a traffic jam at 3am? And if indeed, it was there, how come no other vehicle was affected by the smash-up? How come passengers in those vehicles did not take pictures of the crash, yet Kenyans are notorious for posting such images on social media without prompting?
Some of Jirongo’s close associates have claimed that when they talked to him just hours before the crash, he did not mention that he would be driving to Naivasha. One of them, politician John Khaniri, alleged that Jirongo was in Nairobi at around 11pm, yet details from the accident scene indicate that the crash occurred at between 2am and 3am, when Jirongo was supposedly driving from Naivasha towards Nairobi. Trying to reconstruct this narrative is mind boggling and raises more questions that it can hope to answer.
It has not been made clear who Jirongo met before embarking on his journey and what transpired then and, still more troubling, no witness has come forward to share information that can shed some light on this missing piece in the jigsaw. It would also be important to shed light on whether Jirongo was armed at the time of the crash and if so, what happened to his firearm.
There have also been conflicting reports about the extent of the injuries that Jirongo suffered, with one account indicating that he had fractured his ankles, had a bruise on the face and slight cut above his eyes. If this was the case, then, the injuries are far from consistent with the images shared after the crash, which indicate a high-speed impact that damaged his car extensive. However, the damage to the bus fender raises even more questions since it was not extensive compared to Jirongo’s vehicle.
Whereas speculation will not help this case, it will persist until the police give more details to the public to assuage their fears and satiate their thirst for credible news and information. The information gap left by the silence of the Traffic Police and the many theories doing the round on social media has complicated matters to the point where it becomes incredulous to believe that Jirongo died.
A man as controversial as he was, one knew one too many secrets and who was known for brokering both big business and political deals is always shadowed by speculation of being eliminated when they die in unclear circumstances.
That is why, whereas it is encouraging to note that there are indications homicide detectives are likely to take over investigations into the case, there is need for the police to provide regular and consistent updates to keep the public informed even as those affected seek closure.
Going forward, the police should also develop a template they can use to communicate when public figures are involved in tragedies, including death. This way, they will build more trust, not just with the media, but also with the public since now the police has access to social media platforms through which they can reach out to audiences directly. Failure to have one will also lead to unhelpful speculation even in instances when the public does not suspect foul-play.
mbugua@nairobilawmonthly.com
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