Deputy President William Ruto has for a while now doubled down on the 'hustlers' brand but as it turns out, his claims can be backed up after all.
One of his closest allies, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, has had to go through hoops and hard times of uncertainties just to make ends meet.
In an interview with The Standard two years ago, the fiery lawmaker disclosed that, in 1996, he used to work as a tout earning a salary of Ksh 800.
He further added that his family struggled to put food on the table since his father worked as a charcoal dealer and could earn Ksh 40 on charcoal bags while his mother was jobless.
It was his father's earnings that provided them meals and settled their school fees.
“In 1994, I bought a second-hand bicycle from my accumulated savings, which helped me ferry charcoal to clients. I later sold the bike and bought a new one for Ksh 3,800. That year, my father had helped my mum open a grocery business at Moi University-Main Campus roundabout, where I would sometimes help her," he recalled.
“The conductors became my friends and I began working as a parking boy in 1996. After six months, I got introduced to one matatu owner, Mzee Barnabas Sawe, whose vehicles were labelled Carlos.
“He was paying me Ksh 800 and by the end of the year, he increased it to Sh1,200 due to my hard work and honesty,” continued Sudi.
He worked in the industry for one and a half years until he got trained how to drive and after turning 18 in 1998, he took over the wheel of matatus.
“In 2000, I got married and moved to an iron-sheet house with my wife. That is when I bought my matatu Peugeot 504 and operated it with Sawe’s fleet. The following year, I travelled to Nairobi with a friend for the first time and bought a black and white TV and a radio,” he continued.
Sudi was so diligent in his working that, two years ago, he invited the DP to his home town of Eldoret to help him open his home valued at Ksh100 million.
