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Excitement and a little jealousy ran through Kenyans on social media as they discussed the Kapseret Constituency Empowerment function that dished out goodies running close to KES 50 million.
Hosted by area Member of Parliament Oscar Kipchumba Sudi the empowerment exercise at Constituency level was the most lavish and comprehensive carried out by an individual in Kenya since independence.
The MP empowered residents with matatus, motorcycles, posho mills, water pumps, sewing machines, salon equipment, food vending machines, and other paraphernalia that truly targets income generation among the informal sector.
“My friends and I talked and raised KES 45 million which has been used to buy these goods. I want to make it clear that from the money raised, not even a shilling came from the government; not even a cent,” Oscar Sudi said emphatically.
There was need to make things clear as Sudi and Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen are said to be among President Dr William Samoei Ruto’s kitchen cabinet.
That notwithstanding, today’s exercise was an eyeopener to many leaders, in particular the Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki who has been going round Central Kenya empowering residents with 2-kilogram packets of beans and KES 500.
The internet has been ablaze with comparisons between residents of Kapseret and those of other places such as Homabay County who slept overnight at a stadium because of obscure State empowerment.
The event has brought up the age-old argument that education is not necessarily a yardstick for good leadership. The Kapseret MP did not go to school beyond class six and has constantly featured among leaders who forged academic credentials to be elected.
Oscar Kipchumba Sudi and his boss, president Ruto have borne the brunt of criticism by a section of Kenyans who have questioned their large donations to churches.
Both the Catholic and Anglican clergy have condemned and stopped donations from politicians with one cleric going as far as refunding a donation attributed to the president.
“I can see that the Bishops are unhappy and they now want to refund the money donated to the church. I want to ask for forgiveness because sometimes we go straight to the local churches without going through them. I don’t understand where the problem is,” Sudi hit back in November 2024.
Today enthralled by his success and basking in the glory of media attention Sudi said:
“I have always said that I’m an ‘engineer’ and it is because of that that you have elected me for three terms; as an MP, I had to develop networks. That’s why I was telling you to elect leaders who have networks.”
It’s true that the one-time Trocadero stage manamba has mustered the art of networking. Although he is a third-term MP the immense wealth he has gathered which includes interests in garbage collection and highrise apartments in Nairobi, shares in construction and banking sector, a chopper and luxury mansions across Kenya is not a direct outcome of his earnings as a legislator.
It’s called networking.
