When Cyrus Jirongo was rich and powerful during Kanu regime, William Ruto was his spanner boy or ‘mtu wa mkono’ – for seven long years.
Jirongo spearheaded the Youth for Kanu ’92 (YK ’92) lobby group which campaigned for late President Daniel Arap Moi onset of multiparty politics in 1992.
Ruto joined Jirongo’s YK ’92 as his errand boy when he had just graduated from University of Nairobi with a degree in botany and zoology.
Before YK ’92, the only jobs Ruto held were teaching stints at Sirgoi and Kamagut Secondary Schools besides forays in selling chicken, groundnuts and eggs on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
Jirongo made Ruto rich with the money they got from Moi for campaigns – so rich was Jirongo that 500 shilling note was nicknamed the ‘Jirongo’ following the splashing of the then new 500 shilling notes in political campaigns spearheaded by YK ’92.
Ruto and Jirongo fell out and now the latter has come out to spill some secrets about the DP that the public doesn’t know.
So dark are the secrets that Jirongo couldn’t dare delve deeper into the nitty-gritty, opting to just highlight them.
In an interview with Saturday Nation, Jirongo said Ruto committed cardinal sin that late president Moi refused to forgive him until death.
“In Kalenjin tradition, when something goes wrong, you send the elders to go and apologise for you and then you get an opportunity to repent and say you are sorry. Ruto tried sending elders to Moi and the former president refused. What did he do that Moi defied Kalenjin elders? That’s a question you must ask yourself,” said Jirongo.
Before he died in February 2020, Ruto had tried reaching out to the late Moi in vain. He even went to his Kabarak home but he was kept waiting only to be told Mzee couldn’t see him.
The former Lugari MP further stated that Ruto also committed cardinal sin against other leaders like President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
Jirongo however refused to say what Ruto did that offended Uhuru so much to the extent the president thwarted attempts by clergy sent by the DP to reconcile them.
“The one thing you must ask yourself, is, naturally when men of the cloth try to intervene, you listen. The bishops have tried to intervene with Uhuru, but he has refused. Why has he refused? Those are questions we should ask.
“I started with Ruto, some of these things we cannot say. The things I found out about him cannot allow us to work together. It is beyond repair. Even though politicians are never permanent enemies, go ask Mzee Raila about Ruto and he will also tell you. People must ask themselves these questions. Are all these people wrong? What is it?
“There are some things that are not printable and we cannot say. Do you want to tell me that everyone is wrong about Ruto? Moi was wrong, Jirongo is wrong, Raila is wrong, Uhuru is wrong, Musalia is wrong, Martha Karua is wrong, Wiper’s Kalonzo is wrong, Wetangula is wrong? Now, are all these people wrong only one person is right?” Jirongo said.
According to Jirongo in the newspaper interview, there is a reason why Moi defied elders and refused to listen or forgive Ruto.
There is a reason why even the church elders have not been able to convince Uhuru to forgive Ruto.
He is an evil man. EVIL! pic.twitter.com/9L1gBZiKyB
— Robert ALAI, HSC (@RobertAlai) October 30, 2021
In this newspaper interview, Jirongo has basically confirmed it without confirming it. pic.twitter.com/YDNTeIoTAI
— Robert ALAI, HSC (@RobertAlai) October 30, 2021
Related: Mudavadi Ally Cyrus Jirongo Changes Tune, Asks ANC Leader To Support Raila’s Presidential Bid
