Paul Ongili Owino, also known as Babu Owino, is a well-known Kenyan politician and the current Member of Parliament for Embakasi East. He rose to prominence as the leader of Nairobi University’s Students Organization (SONU). Babu was brought up in a poor home where his mother couldn’t afford school fees, so they decided that only one of them would attend. Despite these hurdles, he persevered and rose to become one of Kenya’s most powerful leaders. This article will look at some of the little-known facts about Babu Owino’s life.
Little Known Facts About Babu Owino
Early Life
Babu Owino was born in Nyalenda, Kisumu County in 1989 where he he spent most of his childhood.
Although known by many as Babu Owino, his real name as it appears on his official documents is Paul Ongili Owino. His mother and childhood friends nicknamed him Babu and the name stuck all through to adulthood.
He was born in a poor background and raised by a single mother following the death of his father as Babu was in class 3. Her mother was left with all the responsibility of raising him with his siblings alone.
Babu is the last born in a family of three children. At times her mother couldn’t manage to place food on the table and together with his siblings they would leave the house early in the morning to look for food and regroup in the evening.
Babu’s mother sold chang’aa to be able to provide for the family. Unfortunately, the police raided their house often looking for the illicit brew, and would beat their mother. They were so defenseless and all they could do was join their mother in crying.
His mother was a form two drop out so she couldn’t manage to get a decent job. The stress from the job led to her mother developing hypertension. Most nights her mother’s blood pressure would rise to high levels and together with his siblings they had to take her mother to hospital.
They would carry her on a bicycle to take her to the hospital since it was the only means of transport they could access.
Education
Even with the hardships in his life, Babu was so committed to pursuing education. Babu Owino attended Kisumu Township Primary from the year 1995 to 2002. He waited for the chang’aa customers to leave their house to start studying. He would keep his feet in the water so as not to fall asleep.
After completing primary school education he was reluctant to go to Secondary School owing to financial constraints.
Her mother was so passionate about school and reported him to the local chief who advised and encouraged him to continue with his studies. Her mother promised him that no matter the struggles, she would do everything within her power to pay the fees.
He later joined Kisumu Boys’ Secondary School From 2003 to 2006 he joined Kisumu.
Even with her mother’s determination, they had to do a fundraising where they managed to raise Ksh. 900. Babu recalls that he had to buy a blazer from a second-hand dealer at a bus stop which costed Ksh 150 and was unique in the whole school.
After completing form four, he relocated to Nairobi to live with his relative in a single room. It’s in Nairobi that he won a scholarship to
scholarship to join A-levels at Millennium Academy and scored a distinction.
Right from primary school, Babu demonstrated leadership skills when he was prefect from class 3 to class six, as an assistant head boy in class seven, and later in class eight he became the head boy. While in high school he was student leader from form 1-4 and later in his A-levels he was the head boy for two terms.
In 2008 he joined the University of Nairobi to study a bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science and graduated with First Class Honors in 2012.
He went back in 2013 to study for a degree in Law.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate Degree PhD in political Leadership from Weldios University, Benin on Nov 12, 2023.
Babu Owino said the reason why he wanted to get many degrees is so that he can feel like he has compensated for those family members who didn’t make it to the university.
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Political Career
Babu’s political career began in 2011 when he was elected Chairman of the Student Organization of Nairobi University (SONU). His leadership term lasted over a decade, during which time he became one of Kenya’s most admirable student leaders.
Image Credit: Fb
In 2013, he ran for the ODM Party candidacy for the Westlands Constituency but was defeated by Tim Wanyonyi. However, he made a dramatic comeback in August 2017, when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Embakasi East on the ODM ticket. He successfully held his seat in the 2022 general elections, earning more than 53,000 votes over his opponents.
Family
Image Credit: Fb
Babu Owino is married to Frida Muthoni and have kids together.
Details of his family life are kept largely secret despite his public presence; nonetheless, he frequently posts heartfelt posts for his wife on significant occasions on his social media platforms. The MP says he is extremely fortunate to have his wife as both his partner and best friend, describing her as a light in his life.
Controversies and Challenges
Babu Owino, who is a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), has come under fire for a number of things, one of them being skipping a parliamentary vote on the Finance Bill 2023. As a result, the party took disciplinary action.
Also, Babu Owino did not vote on the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. He was one of numerous lawmakers who skipped the vote session on October 8, 2024. Owino indicated that he preferred to focus on more serious issues for his constituency, like as rising living costs, unemployment, and Adani Holdings’ proposed purchase of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He criticized the National Assembly for spending time on Gachagua’s impeachment rather than addressing these essential issues, adding that he would only attend parliamentary sessions when significant issues are discussed.
