Oscar Sudi: Inside the powerful world of President Ruto's most trusted confidante

Every President, especially in Africa, surrounds themselves with men they can order around, dispatch on errands of personal interest, entrust with secrets, take advice from, and sometimes misuse whenever they're unable to tackle a particularly messy matter.

Kenya's second President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi perhaps most perfectly embodied the State apparatus - around Moi, there existed servile men who squirmed at the slightest strum of his guitar and marched at the faintest murmur of his whims.

But while these man were at the service of the big man, they also wielded unparalleled power; they handled the President's unofficial diary, squared out his messes, dealt with pesky fellows at the grassroots and were the bridge to the big man's gut check.

In this Moi-era field, the likes of Kariuki Chotara, Nicholas Biwott and Mulu Mutisya come to mind - besides being Members of Parliament, these men, and a few others like them, not only commandeered the Nyayo juggernaut, they were the vessels of the State House machine.

In President William Ruto's administration, one man has emerged as the master player in the intricate State House power play - Oscar Sudi.

Since President Ruto swept into power in August 2022, the diminutive three-time Kapseret MP has morphed into the bürgermeister of the Kenya Kwanza realpolitik, becoming a ubiquitous figure in major Presidential appearances and harbouring a powerful yet subtle command which cannot be ignored.

A self-styled grand strategist, Sudi even refers to himself as "Engineer", a term which, in normal parlance, roughly means a person who designs, builds or maintains engines and machines. In his power-laden world, Sudi has embraced the title to the tilt, and his proficiency is unquestionably evident.

Images of Sudi disembarking from the same military plane as the President only reinforced perceptions that he had the Head of State's ears. And when questions were understandably raised, he would defend himself, explaining that it was not an extraordinary undertaking as he was used to travelling in government choppers.

"I am used to these government helicopters," he once responded on X, attaching undated photos of himself in a Kenya Police chopper.

When General Francis Ogolla died in a freak chopper accident, the President went on TV to address the nation. Amongst the men flanking him, all of whom were drawn from the National Security Council, was Oscar Sudi, a man who, by any understanding, had no business being on such an explicit podium and at such a delicate national moment. 

Sudi's unfettered proximity to power has left many baffled, with some attempting to figure out the exact role he plays in President Ruto's administration and just what, exactly, might he be up to. 

Sudi appears to have been bestowed the role of wrong-footing the President's most scurrilous opponents, refashioning his administration into a hyperpartisan capital of undisputed policy making and levelling the President's most obstinate political mountains.

Not too long after the elections, as if learning from the best, Sudi embarked on a tireless fundraising spree, traversing the Rift Valley, indiscriminately dropping off millions of shillings at various churches.

He quickly rebranded into the darling of church harambees - a forte best exemplified by President William Ruto. 

On March 17, Sudi helped raise funds at St Francis of Asisi Ngara Falls Catholic Church, Ngeria Ward, to aid its construction. He made a personal contribution of Ksh.3 million while his friends and fellow politicians cumulatively brought in over Ksh.15 million.

A week prior, on March 10, he again presided over another fund raiser to support the construction of AIC Fellowship Church - Annex, in the neighbouring Kesses Constituency. And to date, the harambees keep coming. 

Back in January, Sudi's power was well enunciated when he led a group of youths in demolishing structures sitting on a 20-acre contentious piece of land in Kamagut, Uasin Gishu County, despite a court order.

Sudi was reportedly acting on orders from the highest office in the land after a woman claimed she was the rightful owner of the parcel and needed help to evict a Paul Kirwa Samoei and others. Only one man could pull off this messy feat dexterously.

And in December, when the President attended the Kimalel goat auction in Baringo County, an Oscar Sudi photo went immediately viral - he was snapped wearing black designer sunglasses, a jungle green cap and a funky pair of sneakers.

Across his torso, a swashbuckling Sudi was carrying a beefy 'Balmain' sling bag which was said to have been stuffed with the President's millions for the high-profile goat purchases.

Despite the fact that his education background has been filled with inconsistencies and what his detractors say are falsified records, Sudi's brilliance at political manouvership appears to not rest on his academic papers but his sheer tenacity, ingenuity and unparalleled political aptitude.

Online, the media-savvy politician has also learned the art of milking perception to his profit; a recent video shared on Instagram shows him animatedly talking up First Lady Rachel Ruto as President Ruto looks on, bemused.

As both men walk to their seats, dressed in their pristine Italian suits, Sudi appears every inch the "Engineer" he has dubbed himself - self-assured, poised and untouchable.

Almost like a mini-president himself, Sudi regularly shares photos of high-profile people who troop to his Nairobi offices almost daily, as if to tap into the infinite power, standing beside him in well-calculated photo-ops which explicitly reveal who the boss is.

Even Sudi's fiercest political foes will attest to his intellectual rigour, strategic foresight, nuanced approach, and political pragmatism. 

At a past gathering, while heaping praises on Sudi, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen told a crowd of Sudi's shrewdness despite his limited education.

"Ni mwerevu zaidi, na kwenye anaingia, nadhani ni mawaziri wachache sana wanaweza ingia. Kuna watu wanasema Sudi angesoma apate PhD...Nadhani angefika hapo mambo ingeharibika, ni vizuri alitosha vile yuko," Murkomen said to a laughing audience.

"Ni mwerevu kupita kiasi, so Mungu lazima angeweka break kidogo."

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A post shared by Oscar Kipchumba Sudi (@oscarkipchumbasudi)

Sudi has continuously exuded the perfect combination of steady marksmanship and quaking dread. And in the giant national chessboard, he remains the inviolable grandmaster whose thoughts, actions and suggestions move the very nerve of the nation.