Who is Babu Owino?

The Kenyan MP who annoyed Museveni

ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | When President Yoweri Museveni threw decorum aside to rail at a Kenyan MP who apparently has become a thorn in his political skin, many Ugandans were left wondering as they had never heard of Babu Owino.

Museveni was on Aug. 27 speaking at State House in Nairobi where he had travelled to join other regional leaders at a show of force ceremony to endorse prominent Kenyan opposition politician, Raila Odinga, to be the next chairperson of the African Union Commission.

“There are some individuals in Raila’s group whom I don’t think they know what they are doing,” Museveni told the gathering of leaders. “You know I am a consumer of intelligence reports and every time I see Babu. “I have never accused him, but now I am accusing him.”

Babu Owino also known as Paul Ongili is the MP for Embakasi East Constituency in Nairobi, Kenya.

A day after Museveni publicly named him, Babu took to the media to lash back. He said President Museveni has overstayed in power and should leave.

“I respect him as my grandfather. The number of years he has served in power is more than my years and therefore, there is a time and a season for everything,” Babu reportedly said, according to reports in Kenyan news media.

He said he respects Museveni as a revolutionary but cautioned that some revolutionaries end up very badly. “Look at Mobutu Sese Seko (former president of DR Congo)….He came as a revolutionary but got drunk on power, look at (former president of) Zimbabwe….Robert Mugabe,” Babu said.

Museveni is possibly targeting him because Babu has in the past been seen schmoozing with Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine.

In 2020, at the height of the 2021 presidential election campaign in which Bobi Wine was challenging President Yoweri Museveni, Babu declared his support for Bobi Wine.

At the time, Babu’s endorsement of Kyagulanyi was seen as a sign of growing solidarity among young politicians challenging the old generation of leaders like Museveni in the region.

Babu has shown interest in replacing Raila Odinga as the leading opposition figure in Kenya. The outspoken legislator has launched his bid within the Azimio coalition of Raila Odinga under a forum that includes MPs Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), (Gathoni) Wamuchomba (Githunguri), Busia Women Representative Catherine, Omanyo, Amos Mwago (Starehe) and Charles Nguna (Mwingi West).

This group is ranged against former Mombasa Governor, Hassan Joho, and and former Kakamega County Governor, Wycliffe Oparanya, who reportedly have Raila’s go-ahead to vie to replace him should he clinch the AU post.

Earlier in 2018, the Kenyan government took the unusual step of ordering Babu not to visit Uganda. Bobi Wine had reportedly arranged solidarity visits with Babu. Babu had at the time hosted Bobi Wine at a number of public functions and events where they reportedly uttered anti-Museveni sentiments.

The Kenya government ban on Babu’s travel plans was in response to a letter by Uganda’s then Minister of Internal Affairs, Jeje Odongo, indicating that Babu would not be allowed to enter Uganda without special permission from the Uganda government.

“The purpose of this letter is to make it known that Honorable Babu Owino is officially declared persona-non-grata within the borders of Uganda and will not be permitted entry without special clearance from the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the letter reproduced in Kenyan publication at the time reads in part.

Making sense of Museveni’s outburst

But the context of Museveni’s recent public outburst also signifies another possible dimension to his anger. Babu has been closely linked to the recent Gen-Z protests that swept through Kenya. There have also been feeble replicas of the protests in Uganda.

At the height of the Gen-Z protests, when thousands of youth marched onto the Kenyan parliament, Babu Owino proved to be the People’s MP when he scaled the fence of parliament to try to save a man who had been shot. Several people were shot outside Parliament as police clashed with protesters who stormed the complex after lawmakers passed highly controversial tax increases.

Photos showed Babu jumping over the fence on June 25, 2024. He later said he acted after security officers refused to open the gates. He wanted the protestors to occupy Parliament in protest against an infamous Finance Bill.

“Today, I joined fellow Kenyans on the streets to fight for their rights as enshrined in the constitution. Say no to oppression,” he said.

Later on June 29 he made the same remarks when addressing mourners in Siaya County during the burial of comedian Fred Omondi. He said the youth, particularly the Gen Zs, have shown the country that people must fight for their rights.

“We were promised many things. We were promised heaven in vain, therefore there must be changes,” he said.

“I invited you to Parliament for tea. You came but you also ate ugali and rice. Did you see where I put salt and pepper? When you’re hungry, your stomach will alert you but when you’re stupid, your brain will not alert you,” he said.

“Our children finished primary school but over 50,000 have not yet joined high school,” he said.

Such scenes, actions, and speeches by someone who is a close ally of the opposition in Uganda possibly anger Museveni

Ghetto kids

Babu Owino and Bobi Wine have been dubbed “generational vision bearers” by their peers. Another prominent member of the club is Julius Sello Malema, the South African politician who founded and leads the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. They also are known for their red berets.

But Babu Owino like Bobi Wine is also a ghetto kid who got his break in politics. He was born in 1989 in the Kondele slums of Kisumu city where his mother brewed and sold local brew called Chang’aa. He says this in most cases attracted house raids by police.

“During such raids, I would witness my mother being roughed up and beaten by the policemen,” he says.

“My father was born in the typical Luo polygamous homestead. Growing up, we did not have much. In class three, I remember a conversation my Dad had with some of his brothers. Because he was the poorest among them they told him that wabiro neno kaka ibiro puonjo nyithindi. Magi biro mana kwa chiaye e kor pap (We’ll see how you’ll educate your children. All of them will be looking after our goats). “My father always ensured that I tagged along during family meetings. He was never given room to talk. His suggestions were always dismissed because he had no stable source of income. And so I grew up in a set-up where my family appeared excommunicated.”

“When I was growing (up) my background was so sorry, so poor. Nobody went to school in our house. My mom dropped in Form two, my sister did not get the privilege to go to school and my brother, because there was no fees,” he says.

He says he grew up with a lot of bitterness. But as the first born, his father always told him that it his responsibility to save the face of the family. He says they sat down as a family and agreed that at least one of them was to be taken to school. And they chose him. He says his father told him that the only way he could save the face of his family was to study.

“And not just learn curriculum materials. I had to learn how to speak good English. I had to learn how to dress. I had to build my self-esteem up,” he says.

Today he boasts two Bachelors degrees and two Masters. And he explains why he piled on the academic credentials.

“The Actuarial Science First Class Honors was for my mother, then after that I did Masters in Architectural Science for my sister then after that I did LLB Law degree for my brother then Masters in law for myself,” he says.

“I wanted to do a degree for everybody in that house so that was the motivation because as we were growing up we were told that education is the key to success so I saw why can’t I have many keys to success,” he adds.

He has also groomed himself into a leader over a long time.

In primary school, he says, he was a prefect from class three to class six, served as an assistant head boy in class seven and as a head boy in class eight.

“The reason why I am in leadership is because I always asked God to give me an opportunity, should he remove me from the slums in return I would help his people,” he said.

While in secondary he also served as a student leader from Form 1 to Form 4 before joining A- levels where he was also a head boy for two terms. He raised the money for his fees himself.

It is at the University of Nairobi where he tested his leadership skills when he ran for the powerful Student Organization of Nairobi University (SONU) chairman position which he won in 2011. He would later become the only student leader to defend the seat successfully in subsequent elections in 2014, 2015 and 2016. To pursue further his political dream, he went for the Embakasi East parliamentary seat which he won on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.

Angry man

Babu remains an angry man. In 2017, Babu was engaged in a fist fight with Starehe MP Charles Njagua aka Jaguar in an incident that attracted censure and disciplinary action from the leaders in parliament. At the time Jaguar accused Babu of disrespecting then-President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“We will teach you a lesson Babu, you must respect the President,” said Jaguar before he pounced on Babu.

Babu is of small physical stature but he has a big mouth.

“Which president?” he said, “The only president I know is Raila Odinga.”

At around the same time, he was arrested and charged with hate speech after verbally insulting President Uhuru Kenyatta in a move that was heavily condemned.

Babu has numerous times been reported for physically assaulting several people in Kenya, including fellow legislators, parking attendants, night guards among many others. In September 2017, Babu was arrested and charged for assaulting and causing grievous body harm to a voter. In January 2018 Babu was arrested for assaulting a parking attendant.

In January 2020, Owino was arrested for shooting an unarmed nightclub DJ, Felix Orinda, in the neck at close range at a nightclub in Nairobi. He was charged with attempted murder and released on bail and later is said to have made an out of court settlement.

In September 2021, Babu made headlines when he allegedly telephoned journalists to threaten them. He also sent them threatening messages.