Of Cyrus Jirongo, Enoch Kibunguchy and the greater Lugari and politics of maturity

By Etale Philip.

The two fallen politicians Hon. Cyrus Jirongo and Hon. Dr. Enoch Kibunguchy are no strangers to the people of Lugari.

The two gentlemen shaped the politics of Lugari for the better.

Unlike in 1992 when the late Hon. Apili Wawire took on the former powerful and monied KANU stalwart Hon. Burudi Nabwera for the Lugari seat, at the time when KANU was Baba na Mama, and chaos erupted to the extend that Wawire (then running on Ford-Asili party) was forced to take cover and re-emerge with a broken hand in his final rally, Jirongo and Kibunguchy showed maturity.

In 2002, the little known Dr. Kibunguchy came out strongly to challenge the monied CJ, the man who had the KSh500 note called by his name.

It was a campaign like no other. I was a young news reporter at KBC and was assigned to accompany Jirongo (then the Minister for Rural Development) to Lugari, my home area.

I was with my friend, senior and mentor Richard Chacha. We crisscrossed the entire Lugari, money was not a problem to CJ in the campaign.

CJ had served his first term in the August House and was working round the clock to retain the seat.

At one point during the campaign, we came across Dr. Kibunguchy addressing a rally near Matunda town.

CJ in his gentlemanly manner, stopped his motorcade, went straight at shook hands with Dr. Kibunguchy.

He walked back to the vehicle, a maroon Landrover Discovery, he bummed a cigarette, lit it and puffed it five times and crushed it as we headed towards Kitale town.

At no point did I ever see Jirongo freak out because of the threats that Dr. Kibunguchy posed to his incumbency.

He never at no time hired goons, bought them alcohol and gave them instructions to heckle or shout at his opponent(s)… he was a gentleman.

When election time came, he had realised that timing was propitious for Dr. Kibunguchy and that he had nothing left to fight for.

He accepted defeat, retreated to his business to re- strategize, look at his misses and work on his inadequacies. In 2007, he came back.

The campaign was smooth and calm. No fist fights, no walevi being hired to disrupt meetings and no hancor against his rival. They faced off in the December 27 2007 general election and CJ won resoundingly.

These two men were gentlemen. They respected democracy and exercised humility at the height it campaign.

That is the Lugari we had.

Go well our seniors. RIP