I thought it was a prank: Jirongo’s widow recounts the night she learned of his death

Cyrus Jirongo's wife, Anne Kanini/SCREENGRAB

The widow of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, Anne Kanini, has recalled the heartbreaking night she learned of her husband’s sudden death.

Speaking at a requiem mass at CITAM in Nairobi on Saturday, Kanini recounted the shock, disbelief, and grief that enveloped her from the moment she received the devastating news.

Her recollection begins on Jamhuri Day, December 12, 2025, when she received two calls from Jirongo.

The first came around midday, and the second at about 2:30 pm.

He asked where she was, and when she said she was near a supermarket, he decided to visit her.

Kanini reminisced, pulling her shopping trolley aside to meet him in the parking lot.

"I sat in the car, we had a conversation and then he left. He told me he was going back to the office," she said.

Later, around 4 pm, he facetimed her and admitted that he had not gone to the office at all but had dozed in a chair for about two hours at the house.

“That was the last time I spoke to him,” Kanini said, her voice quivering.

That night, Kanini shared, she had trouble sleeping.

Restless and consumed by strong emotions, she checked the time on her phone and took a screenshot at exactly midnight—a moment she later used as a tribute to her late husband.

But the quiet unease of the night gave way to tragedy at 3:20 am, when she began weeping and breaking down as she recounted how she learned of the heartbreaking news.

Kanini received a call from her husband's number.

When she answered, an unfamiliar voice informed her that her husband had been involved in an accident and was unconscious, she narrated.

"Someone asked if I knew the owner of the phone and I told him yeah, that's my husband. I asked where he was, if I could speak to him, and he told me he's been involved in an accident, he was unconscious but was being attended to by the doctors," she said.

Kanini said she initially thought it was a prank.

"At first I thought it was a prank, but then the officer identified herself and said she was Corporal Rhoda of Naivasha police station," she recalled.

She said she later woke up several close allies to accompany her to Naivasha, noting that she was grateful they responded despite the late hour.

Shocked and anxious, she drove with her daughter Sonia to the scene.

The reality hit when she later called the police about the rescue mission.

“Mama, this is no longer a rescue mission, Mzee has left us,” she was told by the police commandant of Naivasha police station.

They then stopped the car, overwhelmed by the suddenness of the loss, and broke down in screams and tears.

She described the agonising task of informing other family members, each call heavy with grief.

What had begun as a desperate dash to assist her husband transformed into a solemn procession to the Naivasha mortuary.

Kanini then coordinated with Lee Funeral Services to arrange a hearse, a stark reminder of how abruptly life can change.