YK’92: How Jirongo & Ruto’s Political Paths Took Different Turns
Cyrus Jirongo was a significant figure in the Youth for KANU (YK 92) campaign, alongside President William Ruto, who was attending the University of Nairobi at the time.
The late former Lugari MP was killed in a car accident early Saturday morning, December 13.
Former Cabinet Minister and ex-Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo has died following a fatal road accident, reports indicate.
— Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) December 13, 2025
The former KANU stalwart, 64, is said to have died on the spot after his vehicle collided with a 45-seater passenger bus along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway at around… pic.twitter.com/lZdvfQleJ9
They worked together to ensure President Daniel Moi’s re-election in the 1992 general elections, which were the country’s first multi-party elections since 1966.
Jirongo chaired the YK 92 movement, which featured Ruto as treasurer, former FKF president Sam Nyamweya, and former MP Joe Kimkung, among others.
Ruto joined forces with Jirongo in the YK 92 movement, and after the organization was abolished, the two successfully ran for parliamentary seats in 1997.
Cyrus Jirongo's political rise began in 1992 when he led Youth for KANU '92 (YK'92), a powerful youth movement that mobilized support for President Daniel arap Moi and KANU in Kenya's first multiparty elections.
— The Kenyan Historian (@KenyanHistorian) December 13, 2025
#KenyanPolitics #RIPJirongo pic.twitter.com/31rmDJB5bq
The Kenyan Ksh 500 banknote introduced in 1988, was nicknamed “Jirongo” in the early 1990s because it was widely distributed by Cyrus Jirongo’s YK’92 group as campaign handouts during the 1992 general elections.#ripjirongo pic.twitter.com/jYoQOp3mKO
— tonny sanya (@TonnySanya) December 13, 2025
Jirongo was elected MP for Lugari on a KANU ticket in 1997, and Ruto was elected to the Eldoret North Constituency on the same party platform.
Prior to the 2002 elections, Jirongo was appointed Minister of Rural Development, while Ruto was Minister of Home Affairs. At the time, Ruto was the Secretary General of KANU.
Jirongo lost his effort to reclaim his Lugari parliamentary seat in the 2002 election, but he returned to Parliament in 2007 on the Kenya African Democratic Development Union (KADDU) banner.
Ruto, on the other hand, maintained his Eldoret North seat in both elections and developed his national political profile.
Jirongo and Ruto in 2002! pic.twitter.com/ybuNvQOEDN
— The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) December 13, 2025
I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) December 13, 2025
Jirongo was a relentless go-getter, a seasoned businessman, and a consummate politician who refused to be defined, let alone defeated, by life’s challenges.
He was a fighter in every sense: blunt… pic.twitter.com/AVhJ73Qm7D
He later joined the late former prime minister Raila Odinga in the famous ODM Pentagon, which backed Raila for the presidency in 2007.
Jirongo then fell out with Ruto, even contesting against him in 2013 when the former Lugari MP entered the 2013 presidential race. He later withdrew from the race to stand for election as a senator.
Ruto was Uhuru Kenyatta’s running mate in their 2013 presidential campaign, and they won against the late Raila Odinga.
While Ruto’s political career flourished, Jirongo’s political journey dimmed. In 2013, Ruto became the country’s first deputy president under the 2010 Constitution, and in 2022 he became Kenya’s fifth president.
After Ruto became Deputy President, he and Jirongo met on several occasions, during which they exchanged jibes about their political fate after the YK92.
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In 2022, Jirongo ran for Kakamega governor under his United Democratic Party (UDP), but lost to ODM’s Fernandes Baraza.
Ruto, on the other hand, successfully contested the presidential election under his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Prior to his death, Jirongo had become a vocal critic of Ruto’s character and political record at public events.
Jirongo passed away on December 13, 2025, in a road accident along the Nairobi – Nakuru Highway.
YK’92: How Jirongo & Ruto’s Political Paths Took Different Turns
