Babu Owino: Is he a revolutionary or a rebel without a cause?

He is the quintessential bad boy of politics. Babu Owino, Embakasi East MP can also be counted on to say exactly what is on his mind, even at inopportune times

The Babu Owino I meet and the one a google search away are as different as two people can ever be. The latter Owino is brash, arrogant and not many people‘s cup of tea. This is the politician who has once been arraigned in court for use of abusive language against the President.  The former Owino is nice, polite and every inch the gentleman, even rearranging the chairs after our interview is done. Polite Owino is seated with me at the Viva lounge in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa Estate.  I am hopeful that this alter ego stays with me for the afternoon.

Casually dressed, in a white printed shirt and beige jeans with sunglasses in his hand, he cuts the figure of a young man with relaxation on his mind.  Just how young is he?

“I am 30. I was born in October 1988.” And when I get back to the office after the interview, the curious cats in my editorial team raise eyebrows at that answer. “How? He was at the university longer than my high school and college tenure combined,” they protest. Well, as a wise man once said, you are as young as you feel. So let a man have his peace.

He was born Paul Owino Ngili. ‘Babu’ was a nickname he got in childhood, but he has since changed his identity card to read BabuOwino. As we settle in for the interview, he asks the crew to order some food or drinks, stretches his legs and cues the interview.

Your public image is one of an outspoken and sometimes outrageous man. Are you the same at home?

People who see me in public imagine that I take the same attitude home, but the truth is I leave politics at the door when I get home and my wife takes charge. Even when we disagree it never goes overboard because in marriage you can either choose to be right, or choose to be happy.   I met my special lady at the University. She was an economics student. She is a very intelligent and capable individual. So I guess you could say similar comrades attract.

You were at the University for longer than the norm, why is that?

I was not idling in the University; I was pursuing an education. First a degree in actuarial science for four years then a law degree that is ongoing. Just so you know, I got first class honours for my first degree. Perhaps the reason you may feel that my stay was extended is because of my visibility during my tenure as Chairman of Students Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU). I am proud of my service to comrades because it’s during my tenure that the regularisation of Higher Education Loans Boards disbursements to needy students happened. So my time at the university was time well spent.

Do you ever regret the things you say…or do? 

As a teen, I was a rabble rouser. A troublemaker. A rebel. I always spoke my mind and refused to follow crowds. I always challenged authority and asked too many questions. This even today has always put me at loggerheads with power figures and you can see that even today. But I believe God put me on this earth for a reason. To speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. In 2022, I intend to run for Nairobi governor, then later for the Presidency.

Fancy yourself a modern day superhero? 

You tell me. This one time I was sent home from Kisumu Boys High School after I confronted a teacher who was beating up one of my friends. To this day, I am convinced he was going to kill him and had I not intervened, that fellow would not alive today. All of my classmates were too scared to say anything but I got up and stopped the teacher and was suspended for my trouble. No good deed goes unpunished!

Why the sudden interest in Bobbi Wine?

Bobi and I share political ideologies. We are both for People Power. We both believe in the potential of the young people of the African continent. After I saw what Museveni was doing in Uganda, I could not keep quiet. I had to speak out against the brutality and violation of human rights. And that is what sparked my friendship with Bobi. That is what made us come together to launch the “Youth For Africa Movement.” I have already initiated talks with Julius Malema of South Africa and Nelson Chamisa of Zimbabwe with a view to bringing on board more allies to create a continental push that will shift how things are done in our respective countries. It is time for the youth to claim their rightful place at the decision making table.

Why then support Ochillo Ayacko against your fellow youth Eddy in the Migori Senatorial Election?

As much as I am a young person, I am also a member of a political party, the Orange Democratic Movement. I believe in its ideals and what it stands for. And keep in mind, Eddy was also a member of the same party. When the candidate for the Migori by election was being chosen using a scientific opinion poll, Eddy himself supported the initiative and agreed with the ultimate outcome that saw Ochillo named the party candidate. The question you should be asking is why did Eddy go against what he himself publicly supported? I am not a flip flopper or a watermelon who changes from one position to another with each passing day. If Eddy had been the party candidate and Ochillo was running against him, I would have supported Eddy to the end!

Are you a good or a bad man?

I believe in God. And that God will judge us all when the final day comes. I do what I feel is right by my conscience. So there are those who will view me as good while there may also be those who view me as bad. But at the end of the day, I have no regrets because I have always done what I believe to be right. And I shall only answer to God.

What could you say is an experience that has shaped the man you are?

I was born to a single mother and like many Kenyans, I grew up in the uncertainty and struggles of slums (Nyalenda in Kisumu.) Life in the ghetto was very tough. My mother did her best with what she had but more often than not, we struggled just to eat at least even once a day.  Getting sent home from school because of non-payment of fees was a normal occurrence. If you got sick, the best you could hope for was prayers and God’s healing touch. I became familiar with police harassment at an early age in Nyalenda. My story is a story of the rose that grew from concrete. A man who managed to overcome significant challenges to make something of myself. And I thank God for his blessings every day.

What sort of challenges?

The night before my K.C.S.E Biology final exam, I was arrested by the police for selling chang’aa and taken to Central Police Station in Kisumu. I was 17 then. I spent the night there and was released in the morning. I went from the police station straight to the exam room and managed to score a B+ in Biology. It was pure strength of will and determination that saw me through that moment. I refused to feel sorry for myself that day and realised my destiny was in my hands.

 What was your childhood like?

 I am the last born of four. From my childhood, I especially remember my school going days. Our uniform was old and tattered, we had no shoes, we barely ate enough to keep body and soul together yet we always found a reason to smile learning in school together with my friends. Nothing has greater potential at changing lives than education. The only reason I am here today is education which is why I am so passionate about the education program I am running out of my constituency CDF. We managed to distribute 20,000 bursaries to needy and deserving students in my first year and I hope to scale this up to 30,000 this coming year.

Word on the grapevine is that you are about to be a dad again. What do you like about fatherhood?

The Owino’s [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Yes, I have three children; a boy aged seven, a girl aged two and another one is on the way. Being a father is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Nothing can compare to that feeling. And it remains the most important job I have. My family always comes first before anything else. I have three children – one aged seven, the other one is two, and another one on the way.

There are two kinds of leaders; the Machiavellian type and the 48 Laws of Power type. Which one are you? 

 I have read the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, but I do not agree with a lot of the things in it. For example, it says you should make people become dependent on you so that they always rely on you. It also says you should crush your enemies. I do not agree with any of that. I would much rather read books by Niccolò Machiavelli, such as The Prince and The Art of War. Now those are good books. Even Robert Greene is a student of Machiavelli.