A wealthy British investor is allegedly among those financing Deputy President (DP) William Ruto's campaign as he seeks to become Kenya's fifth President.
The man identified as Michael Spencer was detained briefly at Wilson Airport on Wednesday, January 5, with Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and former Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyandalu.
Multiple reports indicated that the three, who had arrived in Nairobi from Eldoret, caused a standoff at the airport after they insisted on using the VIP lounge rather than the domestic arrivals section which is used by ordinary passengers.
They also did not want to have their luggage scanned with the Kapseret MP claiming that he was in a hurry to get to Parliament.
However, airport authorities stood their ground leading to a standoff. Spencer, Sudi, and Nyandalu were held briefly but were later released after agreeing to follow laid-down procedures.
The incident at Wilson Airport left many wondering who the two people who had accompanied Sudi, a close Ruto ally, were and their involvement in the forthcoming elections.
It is now emerging that Spencer, who is also a Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, is into political party funding and at one time he was described as "Cameron's broker buddy" by the Sunday Times newspaper while referring to his closeness with former UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
A report by Sunday Nation indicated that he has an array of business interests, from finance, insurance to wealth management.
He also owns Sarai House, a lodge in Borana Conservancy in Laikipia county. In 2018, Spencer told Business Daily that he had two houses in Kenya and is the main sponsor of the Kenya Derby, a horse competition that takes place at Ngong' Racecourse.
Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List valued Spencer at £1.2 billion (Ksh 184.3 billion) in 2021.
On the other hand, Nyandalu has been elected as MP three times between 2000 and 2017. In December 2017, he quit Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) for Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) hoping to become the party's presidential candidate for the October 2020 election but lost to Tundu Lissu.
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