Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi Sunday announced that he is taking a hiatus from public fundraising events, commonly known as harambees.
Taking to X on Sunday evening, the legislator stated that he was “going on leave for one year or two” and that he would not appear in public for political engagements, until when “God speaks to him”.
“Going forward, I’ll not participate in any Harambee because it has been used to malign and disparage the good course, 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,” he said.
He had earlier on taken to social media to explain why he has been engaged in public harambees that seemed to anger many Kenyans.
He has also been exhibiting opulence at a time when many Kenyans are suffering. President William Ruto termed the show-off as insensitive and promised action on those behind the trend.
They include members of the cabinet, Members of Parliament, businessmen in his circles and those in the executive.
Sudi spoke minutes after Ruto hosted a roundtable with a section of Kenyan media, where he also admitted that the ‘harambee culture’ among politicians should be nipped in the bud.
“On matters of politics on the pulpit I am one hundred percent aligned. We shouldn’t be using pulpits in churches to prosecute politics,” said Ruto during the Sunday evening interview in State House.
“We need to change the culture of harambee. It started as a noble exercise it supported many people to go to school but I think it has stretched too far. We must stop harambees because it is breeding corruption.”
This comes in the backdrop of public uproar over the millions of shillings politicians pour into these fundraising functions, whose source has been questioned severally and sometimes linked to corruption.
Sudi has dismissed claims he donated Sh20 million at a previous church fundraiser, saying in a video shared on Sunday that the sum was the total event contribution and not the amount he donated.
But many Kenyans feel he is among those insensitive and showing opulence.
His businesses are among those that were targeted in Eldoret Town during the anti-tax protests.
His newly constructed bar was vandalised and property stolen by protesters.