Don’t Invite Me: Sudi Announces Boycott of Church Fundraisers

Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi has announced that he will no longer attend church fundraisers, commonly known as harambees, and will instead focus on economic empowerment forums.
Speaking on Wednesday August 27, Sudi revealed that the decision was prompted by recent criticism of the government by religious leaders.
The lawmaker, who is a close ally of President William Ruto, said that the boycott would begin next year and that he would focus purely on empowering his Kapseret constituency economically by supporting small businesses and making monetary donations.
“Starting from next year, no one should dare invite me to their fundraiser in church. I am not going to attend. I only want to focus on the economic empowerment of youth, women, and the elderly,” Sudi stated.
“We are Christians, but we need to focus more on empowering Kenyans first. So we are going to stop the harambees first and come to an individual and empower them. At least enable them to even give offertory as they go to church,” he added.
This comes despite Sudi being a well-known contributor to church fundraising events, and having previously attracted controversy because of his substantial donations to such events.
In 2024, he gained notoriety after reportedly donating Ksh20 million to a church during a fundraising drive, an incident that prompted ascathing response from Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.
The donation triggered widespread conversation over the source of funds and Sudi’s broader source of wealth.
At the time, Sudi argued that he had a penchant for donating money to churches, a character he inherited from President William Ruto, who later advanced to State House.
However, the long-term lawmaker later denied personally donating the Ksh20 million to a church, clarifying that the amount was the total contribution from the entire fundraiser.
Even so,this is not the first time Sudi has stepped away from such activities, with the MP announcing that he would take a two-year break from harambees and regroup in 2024.
Speaking in a selfie video he shared at the time, the outspoken lawmaker also hinted at quitting politics, noting that it would be beneficial to him since he spent more in politics than he did on his personal life.