From Billionaire Status to Bankruptcy: Inside Cyrus Jirongo’s Property Empire
Former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo died on December 13, 2025, following a fatal road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway. The once-powerful businessman was driving his Mercedes-Benz car when he collided head-on with a bus. He was 64.
Jirongo ranked among Kenya’s most influential political operatives and businessmen at his peak in the early 1990s, rising rapidly during the KANU era as chairman of Youth for KANU 1992 (YK-92).
Beyond politics, his name also became synonymous with large-scale real estate developments, high-value land holdings, and some of the most protracted property disputes in Kenya.
Jirongo’s property empire and legal battles
The politician’s wealth and political access, however, later translated into large-scale borrowing and property development, much of it tied to state institutions. The transactions would define both his rise and his financial collapse.
At the centre of the former MP’s business interests were Sololo Outlets Limited and Kuza Farms & Allied Limited, companies linked to him through which he undertook major housing and land projects. Many of the projects later became the cause of protracted court battles, debt recovery efforts, and state repossessions.
Court records show Jirongo was among the largest borrowers from Postbank Credit Limited. This state-owned bank collapsed in the 1990s after issuing billions of shillings in unsecured or improperly secured loans to politically connected individuals.
In 1993, one of his firms, Offshore Trading Company, borrowed Ksh1.1 billion, using 1,000 acres of land in Ruai as collateral. A year later, Sololo Outlets Limited applied for a further Ksh1.65 billion loan, secured using a 2.5-acre parcel in Mukuru kwa Reuben.
Neither loan was repaid. According to filings by the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), the successor liquidator of Postbank Credit, accumulated interest pushed the debt to over Ksh40 billion, with the Ruai loan alone ballooning past Ksh20 billion.
At the time when the loans were issued, Kenya had not enacted the in duplum rule limiting interest accrual.
Ruai land
The Ruai land remains the most complex and contentious asset linked to Jirongo’s estate. Historical records show the land was originally part of 13,000 acres reserved for the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) for expansion of its treatment plant.
The land was formally registered to Nairobi Water in 1996 following a presidential directive. Shortly thereafter, significant portions were transferred to private individuals and companies, leaving the utility with about 3,000 acres.
The Ruai land was used as collateral for Postbank Credit loans. When KDIC attempted recovery, it emerged that the land was public utility property and could not legally be auctioned.
The government repossessed the land in 2020 and gazetted it as protected public land. However, ownership disputes persisted through the courts.
In 2024, the Environment and Land Court ordered the cancellation of titles held by Renton Company Limited, ruling that the land belonged to Kamunyong squatters and had been illegally acquired. The land was valued at approximately Kshh13 billion.
The Court of Appeal further issued a temporary suspension of the decree for 18 months in April 2025, granting Renton Company Limited a reprieve pending the outcome of its appeal.
The order allowed the firm to retain possession of 1,643 acres during the appeal period, though the substantive ownership question remains unresolved.
Dispute with City Hall over Mukuru kwa Reuben land
In addition, the 2.5-acre Mukuru kwa Reuben land, where the AEF Reuben Primary School, a police station, maternity clinic, and vocational centre currently stand, was used as loan collateral despite being public land.
In 2016, Nairobi County entered an out-of-court settlement to pay Ksh250 million for the land. The agreement required Jirongo to clear encumbrances and transfer a clean title. Court records show these conditions were not met, yet the county released the full payment.
Following the payout, Jirongo transferred funds to several individuals. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) later summoned recipients to explain the transactions. All stated the funds related to debt settlements or unrelated obligations.
Other major housing projects linked to Jirongo were Hazina Estate in South B, Saika Estate, and Kemri Estate on Mbagathi Road. Hazina Estate was developed by Sololo Outlets Limited and was built on land associated with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
A prolonged dispute followed, with Jirongo claiming he was owed additional compensation beyond the Ksh490 million NSSF said it had already paid. He later demanded up to Ksh1.4 billion and even proposed refunding the money to repossess the estate.
NSSF rejected the move and proceeded to issue individual title deeds to homeowners, effectively ending Jirongo’s claim over the property. Courts were left to address the remaining compensation dispute, while ownership of the houses was regularised.
In Uasin Gishu County, the politician’s company, Kuza Farms & Allied Limited, owned a 103-acre parcel in Chepkoilel that included a salt-processing factory.
The property was charged to Dubai Bank Kenya, and after the bank collapsed, it was auctioned in 2018 to recover outstanding debt.
Bankruptcy and final years
The High Court in 2017 declared Jirongo bankrupt over a Ksh700 million debt owed to businessman Sammy Kogo. Justice Olga Sewe ruled that his inability to pay had been clearly demonstrated. An official receiver was appointed to manage his estate.
In 2018, the politician was briefly detained over an unpaid Ksh20 million loan after failing to raise bail. Political allies assisted in securing his release, including the use of former Minister Eugene Wamalwa’s Mercedes-Benz logbook as surety.
Most properties linked to Jirongo had either been auctioned, repossessed, or remained entangled in court proceedings by the time of his death.
Away from finances, the former Minister was remembered as a philanthropist, political mobiliser, and football administrator, having served as AFC Leopards chairman in 1991. He was also widely known in the 1990s for a flamboyant lifestyle marked by luxury cars, generous cash handouts, and conspicuous displays of wealth.
Jirongo attended Mang’u High School, served as Lugari MP, and briefly as Minister for Rural Development.
