Embakasi East legislator Babu Owino, has coated a lot of controversy right from his time as the President of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU)
He also spend some good time in custody last year for insulting President Uhuru Kenyatta. But this is not the first time he was being arrested.
Babu says he was arrested when he was 17 years for selling chang’aa in Nyalenda slums in Kisumu. According to the first time MP, this is the night before for his KCSE Biology exams.
“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.” Babu told The Standard.
Surprisingly, Babu went ahead and scored a B+ in the same paper. He said he refused to feel sorry for himself and realized that his destiny was in his own hands.
“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.”
The outspoken MP has never been shy of talking about his tough upbringing.
“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.”
I would like to take this opportunity to wish our brothers and sisters who will be sitting their KCPE and KCSE exams success and good health
I will offer full scholarship to pupils and students from Embakasi East who will score 400 marks and A plain in KCPE and KCSE respectively pic.twitter.com/VEafyk1aLQ— Babu Owino (@Babu_Owino) October 19, 2018
Perhaps this is the reason why education is so dear to him. Babu currently holds a First Class Honors in Actuarial Science from University of Nairobi. He is also pursuing a law degree from the same institution.
His message can perhaps inspire some of the KCSE candidates who are starting their exams on Monday.