Babu Owino speaks on his current relationship with Raila, Nairobi Governor bid

In today’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we caught up with him to go beyond the sound bites and find out more about the man behind the title.

Babu Owino’s political journey is one deeply rooted in youth leadership and student activism. Reflecting on his rise to prominence, he credits his popularity among the youth to years of advocacy and tangible development projects.

“Having a following means that there is enough trust from Kenyans. The reason why the youth follow me is because of the work I do at Embakasi East, but it started years back when I was the student leader at the University of Nairobi,” he explains.

He emphasizes that leadership is about service, stating, “A leader must be a servant. You must listen to your people. I come to this office with an intention to serve. I might not provide 100% solutions, but I know what I provide will take them a long way.”

With his sights set on becoming the next governor of Nairobi, Babu Owino remains confident in his ability to lead despite the challenges faced by previous governors including Evans Kidero, Mike Sonko, and incumbent Johnson Sakaja.

“My mother did not give birth to a stupid person, and it doesn’t mean that if others failed, I am going to fail,” he asserts.

He identifies Nairobi’s key challenges as poor road and sewage networks, as well as insufficient water supply.

“When it rains in Nairobi for half an hour, then there will be a ‘River Nairobi.’ The problem is poor governance and leadership. There are cartels who block water pipes with the intention to sell water. Also, some of those pipes were fixed in the sixties, so they get corroded and leak,” he explains.

Babu Owino was recently ranked among the top-performing MPs in Kenya, an achievement he attributes to proper governance and a commitment to serving his constituents.

“This requires a track record of servant leadership and accountability to the people,” he notes.

Addressing speculations about his relationship with Raila Odinga, Babu Owino insists that nothing has changed. He affirms his unwavering loyalty to the former Prime Minister, whom he refers to as his political father.

“He is my political leader. Even in a family, there are issues here and there, but we do not allow it to get under our skin. I was not at KICC during the signing of the MOU because I had urgent things to attend to my people come first,” he clarifies.