Cyrus Jirongo: From wealthy Moi-era politician to YouTuber
Mr Cyrus Shakhalaga Jirongo made a name for himself as a young turk during former president Daniel Moi (now deceased) reign.
He was the leader of the Youth for Kanu 92 (YK92) movement- one associated with the ruling party that controlled Keny in the run up to the 1992 polls.
The group has the likes of former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Sam Nyamweya and current President William Ruto among its members.
President Ruto has admitted in the past that Jirongo was his boss.
Between 1992 and 2001, Mr Jirongo was deeply immersed in Kenya’s politics, going as far as becoming a parliamentarian for Lugari Constituency before going into ministerial roles.
In 2007, he successfully retained his Lugari seat and then he shone his eyes on becoming Kenya’s fourth president.
This dream was never realised in the 2013 and 2017 General Elections- he gave up his 2013 bid to vie for Senator in Kakamega but he lost the seat to Boni Khalwale.
As his political star shone, so did his bank accounts fatten. His wealth, over the years, often made news headlines both online and offline.
In a past media interview with Nation.Africa, he claimed to have been a billionaire by age 30.
He bought expensive cars at the drop of a hat and easily dished out newly-minted Sh 500 notes circa 1990s.
He was associated with top tier companies as well as vast real estate in Nairobi’s Eastlands and Southlands areas. Money was no object or difficulty for him.
That was until he was taken to court and declared bankrupt when he couldn’t pay back a Sh 700 million debt in 2017. His entire estate was put under receivership. He also had additional debts in the millions and his property auctioned over another Sh 495 million debt.
Fast forward to 2024, Mr Jirongo is now a show host on YouTube.
This turn of event shocked many since his political light dimmed over the years only for him to emerge as a ‘content creator’.
“Savage politics is a platform where we have hard-hitting political conversations with the aim of informing and transforming. The show is hosted by Cyrus Jirongo, a long time Kenyan politician and businessman who’s been in the political space since the early 1990s,” read the show’s bio on Thee Alpha House’s YouTube channel.
His first interview was hosting iron lady Martha Karua, the NARC Kenya party leader where they spoke about Kenya’s politics, justice and transparency. The episode aired on March 22, 2024, and today, April 8, 2024, the show has 87,622 views.
The idea to have him host the Savage Politics show was welcomed by some of their viewers but many were of the opinion that since he was a key part of a regime that overstayed its welcome under president Moi for 24 years, he was not fit to facilitate some conversations regarding today’s politics and happenings in Kenya.
YouTube is one of the most popular broadcasting channels in Kenya. It allows content creators to upload videos on its platform and stand a chance to be paid.
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