NAIROBI, Kenya – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has mourned former Kenyan politician Cyrus Jirongo, days after identifying him as the person who alerted him to the use of Kenyan middlemen in Uganda’s petroleum procurement.
In a message posted on X, Museveni said he had only recently learnt that Jirongo died in a road accident in December 2025.
“I have just learnt that Senator Cyrus Jirongo passed away last December in a motor accident. I was not aware that he had died,” Museveni said.
He described Jirongo as a “good and patriotic leader” who served Kenya with dedication and sent condolences to his family, relatives and friends.
“May his soul rest in peace,” Museveni added.
Museveni Had Named Jirongo in Fuel Deal
The tribute comes shortly after Museveni publicly identified Jirongo as the Kenyan politician who alerted him about Uganda’s petroleum procurement arrangements.
In a statement issued on September 20, Museveni said Jirongo told him around 2019 that Uganda was purchasing petroleum products through middlemen in Kenya.
“It was a Kenyan Senator called Jirongo who told me this around 2019. I immediately tasked the then Minister Irene Muloni to sort out that mess,” Museveni said.
Museveni said he had been unaware that Uganda was procuring petroleum through intermediaries in Kenya.
He said the matter was not resolved immediately and that Uganda eventually changed its procurement arrangement in 2023, when it entered an agreement with global energy company Vitol.
Museveni said the new arrangement resulted in lower prices for diesel, petrol and aviation fuel.
Jirongo’s Warning Came Before Kenya’s 2023 G-to-G Model
The timing of Museveni’s account has become significant in Kenya’s ongoing debate over the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) fuel importation programme.
Museveni said Jirongo raised the issue around 2019, several years before Kenya introduced its current G-to-G petroleum importation framework in 2023.
Kenyan reporting has consequently noted that Jirongo’s alleged warning to Museveni concerned Uganda’s earlier procurement system, rather than being evidence that he was referring to Kenya’s 2023 G-to-G arrangement.
The distinction has become important as questions have emerged over whether Museveni’s comments about middlemen were being linked to Kenya’s current fuel-importation model.
Ruto Defends Kenya’s Fuel Model
President William Ruto has rejected criticism of Kenya’s G-to-G fuel model, saying his administration moved to eliminate brokers from petroleum imports after taking office in 2022.
Speaking to Kenyans in New York on September 20, Ruto said the arrangement had helped reduce pressure on Kenya’s foreign-exchange reserves.
He challenged critics to compare the landed cost of petroleum products in Kenya and Uganda, arguing that Kenya had a more effective model.
Ruto also said other African countries, including Malawi and Burundi, had shown interest in understanding Kenya’s system.
Museveni Thanks Ruto for Supporting New Uganda Arrangement
Despite the controversy surrounding his earlier comments, Museveni’s September 20 statement also praised Ruto’s role in Uganda’s subsequent petroleum arrangement.
Museveni said Ruto had helped overcome resistance from some actors in Kenya and enabled Uganda to use Kenya’s oil pipeline.
“I want to thank H.E. Ruto because he prevailed over some actors in Kenya who were trying to resist,” Museveni said.
He said the new arrangement allowed Uganda to pump petroleum products through Kenya’s pipeline, with Uganda acquiring a 20.15 per cent share in the Kenya-Uganda pipeline arrangement, according to his statement.
Jirongo Died in December 2025 Road Crash
Jirongo, a former Lugari MP and Cabinet minister, died on December 13, 2025, following a road crash at Karai along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said it opened an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident and later reported that investigations were ongoing.
Jirongo was subsequently buried at his Lumakanda home in Kakamega County on December 30, 2025.
At his funeral, several political leaders called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, although the DCI’s inquiry was focused on the road accident.
Museveni’s Tribute Adds New Context to Fuel Debate
Museveni’s tribute now adds a personal dimension to a controversy that has placed Jirongo’s name back at the centre of debate in Kenya and Uganda.
The former politician cannot respond to the account attributed to him by Museveni, while the Ugandan President has maintained that Jirongo was the person who first alerted him to the use of middlemen in Uganda’s petroleum procurement.
The issue has also prompted calls in Kenya for greater scrutiny of the country’s current G-to-G fuel arrangement.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, for example, has called on the Senate and National Assembly energy committees to examine the deal and establish how the arrangement works and what Kenya pays for imported fuel.
Former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has separately called for disclosure of the G-to-G agreement and greater scrutiny of the role of middlemen.
