Jirongo freed as CS Wamalwa avails car as surety

Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo has been released from police custody after depositing the required cash bail of Kshs 5 million as ordered by a Nairobi court and receiving vital help from Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa, who gave his car, a Mercedes Benz, as surety.

Jirongo had been arrested on Tuesday for failing to pay a debt of Kshs 20 million to businessman Brian Yongo, and had spent two nights in police custody at Muthangari Police Station after failing to secure the required cash bail. The Court had issued an arrest warrant last month and the Muthangari police station OCS had been ordered to execute it.

The former legislator was facing time in remand prison given that a Thursday afternoon deadline had been set. According to Yongo, he loaned Jirongo Kshs 25 million between 2014 and 2015 and the former MP was to pay the debt in three instalments within a few months, but he only paid Kshs 5 million. The businessman accused him of giving false proposals and issuing bounced cheques, and Jirongo denied the allegations when he appeared before Deputy Registrar Elizabeth Tanui at the Milimani Courts on Wednesday.