President Uhuru Kenyatta pronouncement that a lifestyle audit will be conducted on all public officers has been met by resistance from some leaders. Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi leads the brigade resisting the audit terming it as witch-hunt targeting Deputy President William Ruto and his key lieutenants. Although the DP remained tight lipped on the subject, many feel he is using the Kapseret MP to pass his message of dissatisfaction with the planned lifestyle audit. Mr Sudi, in what was a clear stab at the President, demanded the audit to start from 1963 when Uhuru’s father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took the realms of power from Kenya’s colony masters.
Sudi the Charcoal seller
The 37 year old Sudi is the classical ‘from rags to riches, grass to grace tale’. And his story seems to be a copy paste of his mentor, DP Ruto, who had to hustle his way from a chicken seller to become the country’s second in command. Sudi started out as a charcoal vendor in Eldoret town. He told SDE of his business: “In 1994, I bought a second-hand bicycle from my accumulated savings, which helped me ferry charcoal to clients. I later sold the bike and bought a new one for Sh3,800. That year, my father had helped my mum open a grocery business at Moi University Main Campus roundabout, where I would sometimes help her,” the now wealthy Sudi told the publication.
Sudi the Tout
The politician-who has been described as the DP’s sycophant-learnt touting from matatu operators he befriended while working at his mother’s grocery store. He began working as parking opertaror with a daily pay of kes800 which was increased to kes1200 thanks to his hard work and honesty. Sudi graduated to a driver in 1998 when he turned 18 and was able to save enough money to venture into farming.
Sudi Buys matatu
He bought his first public service vehicle, a Peugeot 504, in 2000 which operated with Sawe’s fleet.
Pool business
The entrepreneurial Sudi visited Nairobi for the first time in 2001 and picked some business ideas that he was to replicate in his home town of Eldoret. The MP was fascinated by the idea of Nairobians paying to play a game of pool and he thought this would also work in Eldoret. He told the Nairobian: “I then borrowed Sh110,000 and bought two tables which I installed in Kesses and they really made me good money. I bought five other tables that I gradually I installed at Moi University, Mugundoi and Cherangany areas as I operated my matatu.”
Car and land dealer
‘Sonko of Eldoret’ as the legislator is also known told the tabloid how he found himself in the motor dealership business. He sold his PSV and bought a Toyota and a Mazda Pick-up for his business and this sparked his interest in the business of buying and selling cars. Sudi bought a car in Mombasa and sold it at a profit in Eldoret. His business received a major boost when Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony-who he met in Mombasa-introduced him to his comrades “whom I would assist to purchase cars duty free because they enjoyed the exemption.” He made acquaintances with businessman David Lagat who, according to Sudi, extended massive deals for his clearing and forwarding agency and land deals. It is at this point that he met DP William Ruto who was then Eldoret North MP.
Friendship With DP William Ruto
The former pupil at Tulwop-Ngetuny Primary School admired the politics of Ruto and wanted to emulate him. “I was close to Ruto and used to wonder how he could do a lot for the public through CDF projects and representation in Parliament. I felt the need to get into politics to address issues our leaders had failed to tackle,” the politician told the Nairobian.
Oscar Sudi ‘Sudden’ wealth
Sudi earned the moniker ‘Sonko of Eldoret’ for dishing out money à la Mike Mbuvi Sonko. This has got Kenyans on social media under the hashtag #WeKnowYourSalary questioning his source of immense wealth. How a man who was a tout and earns just above kes700,000 per month would be moving around his constituency dishing out money is a question only Sudi can answer.
House-Kes100 million
His kes100 million house in Uasin Gishu was opened in 2016 by his DP Willaim Ruto. The man who was accused of forging his certificates by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) ranks among the richest MPs in Kenya.
Oscar Sudi’s Net Worth
His net worth is estimated at kes600 million.
Castigating reports that he is corrupt, said said:
“I would like to respond to some crooks who are not Kenyans of goodwill and their intention is purely meant for character assassination. First I wasn’t a matatu tout in 2006 and to set the record straight, I was a makanga from 1996 when I was only 15 years old. I operated in matatu industry for 5 good years before I graduated to other businesses in 2001. I can account for every coin that I have today because I know my history that has cost me hard work and resilience. I want to tell those spreading images of my beautiful house that I will not succumb to their intimidations, cowing and ridiculing and that I will continue making investments in future.”
