Oscar Sudi: I bought my first Range Rover at 22

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has revealed that he bought his first Range Rover when he was just 22 years old.

He made this statement while addressing allegations that he contributed Sh20 million to a church fundraiser.

In a video posted on his social media, Sudi clarified that the Sh20 million was the total amount raised at the fundraiser, not his personal donation.

He questioned, "How can you lie in broad daylight? Don’t you believe that church members can come together and raise even Ksh50 million?"

He explained that the church raised Sh14 million, with the rest being added by himself, his friends, and other contributors.

Sudi was responding to comments made by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, who criticised politicians for flaunting their wealth in front of church congregations.

Khalwale suggested that some politicians' wealth might have been obtained through corrupt means. This accusation angered Sudi, who was accused of contributing Sh20 million in a single fundraiser.

Defending his wealth, Sudi asserted that it was the result of hard work. He said, "I’ve been working long before I became an MP... I bought my first Range Rover when I was 22 years old. Do you expect us all to walk on foot?"

He stated that his wealth was not acquired through dubious means but through hard work.

His video caption read: "To Boni Khalwale, all my wealth has been through sheer hard work. But some rely on sorcerers for overnight riches."

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To the @DrBKhalwale; all my wealth have been through sheer hard work. But some rely on sorcerers for overnight riches. In reference to the harambees that I have been attending, which has raised much furore, at no given point, have I contributed Ksh 20m as alleged. pic.twitter.com/VRKAGvbtxz

— Hon Oscar Sudi (@HonOscarSudi) June 30, 2024

Sudi also announced that he would be stepping back from public engagements. He stated, "Going forward, I'll not participate in any Harambee because it has been used to malign and disparage the good cause—let it be banned. Thus, the current happenings in the country call for introspection and consequently, I'm taking a sabbatical leave from public engagements."

Expressing frustration over the backlash he has faced, Sudi noted, "I'm taking leave because of the noise and jealous people like you... Many people don't know how we raise money for these fundraisers."

He hinted that he might even consider quitting politics altogether, adding, "God willing, if He speaks to me after one or two years, I might return and start with that mud-walled church you were talking about today."

Sudi's journey from humble beginnings to a prominent political figure is noteworthy. Born in 1980 near Moi University’s main campus in Kesses, Sudi grew up in a poor family.

His childhood was marked by struggles, often being in and out of school due to lack of fees, and doing manual work to make ends meet.

He started off as a herder, then became a charcoal and grocery dealer, a matatu tout, and eventually a driver before buying his own public service vehicle.

According to past interviews, Sudi worked for a Sh800 pay in 1996 with a matatu named Carlos, owned by Barnabas Sawe.

By the age of 18, he had started driving and saving money, which he used to start farming, cultivating seven acres of maize.

In 2000, he got married, moved into his own iron sheet house, and bought a matatu, a Peugeot 504. It was then that he made his first trip to Nairobi to buy a TV set and a radio.

Elected through URP in the 2013 General Election, he described his achievements in life as sheer luck in an interview with The Nairobian.

"I was born in 1980. My parents were squatters in Moi University area and all we had was a grass-thatched house on the farm of Mzee Kibor arap Talai, who allowed us to stay temporarily. I used to sleep in the kitchen with my two brothers," said Sudi in 2016.