Zedekiah Kiprop Bundotich, alias Buzeki, is well-known in the country for his economic, philanthropic and political activities.
He began his career in Kilifi County, where he worked as a hawker for a milk factory earning Ksh 80 per day.
Buzeki was promoted to salesperson after impressing them with his job as a hawker.
Despite not having any training for the post, he performed admirably and was promoted to sales manager.
His last job was as a sales manager, and he later decided to leave and pursue a career in business.
Buzeki, who had previously worked in the milk industry as a hawker, offloader and salesperson, established a milk distribution company in Mombasa.
He began modest, but his industry experience helped him grow into one of the largest milk distributors in the Coastal region.
After 8 years in business, Buzeki returned and purchased the company that had recruited him in Kilifi, including it into his business portfolio.
“After distributing milk for eight years, I went back and actually bought the factory of my former boss, Kilifi Plantations,” he said.
Following the purchase of Kilifi Plantations, Buzeki expanded his dairy business empire by acquiring plants in Limuru and Molo.
After building a name for himself as one of the country’s leading dairy business experts, he decided to pursue other financial options and entered into logistics.
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Buzeki founded a transportation company and acquired trucks to transport products throughout East Africa.
He said most people recognized him after seeing his trucks, which are branded with his name, but he emphasizes that the dairy industry is what made him.
Brookside Dairy acquired his Kilifi and Molo enterprises in 2013, for an estimated Ksh 1.1 billion.
He made his political debut in 2017 as an independent candidate for the Uasin Gishu County gubernatorial seat, but was defeated by then-incumbent Gov. Jackson Mandago.
In 2019, Buzeki joined Chama Cha Mashinani alongside former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, however he left the party before the 2022 national elections.
In the 2022 general election, he ran as an independent for the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial seat, but was defeated by Jonathan Bii alias Koti Moja of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
As a method of giving back to the community, he founded the Buzeki Foundation, which funds and implements farmer empowerment initiatives.
The foundation provides farmers with training in contemporary agricultural practices as well as indigenous seeds to help them diversify the types of plants they grow.
