For Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, turning 37 was not just another date on the calendar. It was a moment to look back at the woman who helped him navigate life's roughest roads long before he began talking about fixing Nairobi's.
The outspoken legislator marked his birthday on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Dorcas Owino, crediting her sacrifices for the journey that has taken him from the hardships of Nyalenda slums in Kisumu to the corridors of Parliament.
In a message shared on social media, Babu offered a glimpse into the struggles that shaped his childhood, revealing that his mother turned to selling chang'aa to keep the family afloat and ensure he received an education.
“Mum, you sold chang'aa in the slums, made sacrifices that the world may never fully understand, and did everything within your power to give me a better life,” he wrote.
It was a birthday message that traded the usual cake-cutting celebrations for a more personal reflection on the price of ambition.
“You carried burdens silently so I could have a chance at a brighter future. If I have come this far, it is because you refused to give up on me,” he added.
For a politician whose public persona is often associated with fiery speeches, political exchanges and energetic rallies, the tribute offered a softer side of the man known to many as Babu.
Babu's story began in Nyalenda, Kisumu, where life was far removed from the political prominence he enjoys today. He attended Kisumu Township Primary School before joining Kisumu Boys High School, laying the academic foundation for a journey that would eventually take him to the University of Nairobi.
His mother’s determination to keep him in school became a recurring theme in his account of his upbringing. Education, he has repeatedly said, was the ladder that helped him escape the limitations imposed by poverty.
After arriving in Nairobi in 2007, he pursued Actuarial Science at the University of Nairobi, graduating with first-class honours. He later obtained a master's degree in the same field and rose to prominence in student politics, serving as chairman of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University for four terms. In May 2025, he was admitted to the Roll of Advocates.
That background helps explain why education has remained a central feature of his political messaging.
As he seeks to expand his political ambitions to Nairobi County's top seat in the 2027 General Election, Babu has continued pointing to his Embakasi East record as evidence of what he could bring to City Hall.
Among the initiatives associated with his constituency tenure are bursary programmes supporting learners from financially struggling households. In April 2025, he distributed bursary cheques in Utawala and Tassia, reiterating his position that access to education should not depend on a family's income.
“Education of our children is my priority and I will deliver without discrimination. Every child in Embakasi has a right to access quality education,” he said during the bursary initiative.
Infrastructure has also featured in his constituency record. He has highlighted road works, including the Mzeza-Soweto road linking Riverbank and Baraka Estate, as well as roads in Mihango and other parts of Embakasi East. His constituency development programmes have also included support for water storage facilities in selected public institutions.
But beyond roads and bursary cheques, the MP appears keen to keep his public profile grounded in face-to-face encounters with residents.
On his 37th birthday, Babu also shared a post from Mji wa Huruma in Nairobi County, where he spent time with elderly residents.
“Decided to celebrate with the elderly. We are honouring them for their wisdom,” he wrote.
The visit added a community-centred touch to a birthday otherwise dominated by reflections on his mother's sacrifices.
As he courts Nairobi residents ahead of the gubernatorial contest, such interactions provide opportunities to engage different groups while drawing attention to the everyday concerns that shape life in the capital.
His proposed gubernatorial agenda has touched on roads, water supply, healthcare, sanitation, waste management and job creation. Whether those ambitions translate into a detailed, costed programme will be an important part of the debate as the 2027 race takes shape.
For now, the birthday message brought the politician back to his beginnings: a young boy whose mother worked to keep hope alive in difficult circumstances.
At 37, Babu's political journey continues, but his birthday reflection carried a reminder that, long before the rallies and the gubernatorial ambitions, there was a mother determined to give her son a chance.
And on this birthday, he made it clear that her story deserved to be told, too.