It now emerges that embattled former Lugari lawmaker Cyrus Jirongo was among the most generous high profile members of the society during his brighter days.
Jirongo was a popular figure in the 1990s and chief of the pre-retired President Daniel Moi YK92 group which was formed on March 7, 1992, to spearhead Moi’s KANU campaigns.
Among those attracted to him courtesy of his generosity was then Mvita lawmaker Sharif Nassir who also doubled up as Moi’s point man in the Coastal region.
Nassir, also a Cabinet Minister in Moi’s administration reached out to his Personal Assistant Abdirahman Bafadhil who had contact with Jirongo to hook him up with the 33-year-old billionaire.
In a Daily Nation publication dated June 2016, Bafadhil narrates doing the task as he was requested and arranging a meeting between the two days later in Jirongo’s offices at the Anniversary Towers, Nairobi.
After the meeting, Jirongo escorted both Nassir and Bafadhil down to the basement where the Cabinet Minister’s old Mercedes Benz was parked and did not like what he saw.
Jirongo, according to Bafadhil, turned to Nassir and told him, “Bwana waziri gari hii haikufai tena wewe kama waziri” (Mr Minister, this car does not suit you anymore),” Bafadhil is quoted by Nation.
He then reportedly headed back to his office and came out with a note directing car manufacturer DT Dobie to issue the Minister a Brand New Mercedes Benz.
He also brought with him a bag full of money and handed it to the minister, a move that took Nassir by shock as though he knew the man was generous, he did not expect him to be that generous.
“Mzee was utterly taken by surprise by the gesture. We knew Jirongo was quite generous but we did not expect him to give him that much money,” Bafadhil added.
Bafadhil was himself handed a house belonging to the National Housing Corporation in Lang’ata shortly before the group was suspended.
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