There’s the Babu Owino many Kenyans know today, the polished politician, the one with the grey beginning to sprout through his hair and always presents himself as a statesman.
And then there’s another version of Babu many may not know … fiery, confrontational and almost untouchable.
Today, let’s talk about the latter. Because unless you were around during the SONU era at the University of Nairobi, chances are you never fully witnessed just how influential this man was.
Back then, Babu Owino was serving as the Chairperson of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University, famously known as SONU. And at the time, he wasn’t just another student leader.
He was viewed almost like a political commander inside the university. A man who could pressure the government into lowering university fees… or force HELB delays to suddenly disappear after mobilizing students.
And trust me, nobody wanted to deal with an angry Babu Owino-led demonstration. He had mastered the art of influence, mobilization and confrontation at a very young age.
And up to today, Babu Owino still holds a record no other SONU chairman has managed to break. He served four consecutive terms. That’s nearly five years in office, in a position where most chairpersons barely lasted one year.
Now imagine the level of influence required to pull that off repeatedly.
Now let’s get into the madness. Earlier this year, reports emerged claiming that Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai had clashed with Babu Owino at a Nairobi restaurant.
But surprisingly, the confrontation ended peacefully without injuries. And honestly, when I saw that story, one thing immediately came to my mind. SONU Babu Owino would never have allowed that situation to end quietly.
One man who understands that version very well is Mike Jacobs. For context, Mike Jacobs was probably the strongest political rival Babu Owino ever faced during his SONU years.
Remember, I told you most SONU chairpersons only served for one term. So by the time Babu was securing a third consecutive term, many students had started feeling like SONU leadership had become a monarchy.
And Mike Jacobs became one of the loudest voices opposing him. He would mobilize students against Babu’s re-election campaigns, and sometimes the political tension became so intense that university operations would be suspended altogether.
The rivalry between the two kept escalating year after year. And when Babu eventually secured a fourth term, the hostility only grew worse. Then in 2016, things completely exploded. Babu Owino and Mike Jacobs got involved in a violent confrontation that left Jacobs hospitalized.
The incident eventually landed Babu in court facing assault charges. But according to Babu, Mike Jacobs had approached him aggressively and intended to attack him first, forcing him to defend himself.
And this CCTV footage from a Shell Petrol Station was later used as part of Babu’s defence.
And by the way… Geoffrey Mosiria was also part of SONU politics. Yes, this same Geoffrey Mosiria you know today. And back then, Babu Owino used to publicly roast him without mercy.
Interestingly, Mosiria only recently responded to those allegations after the old clip resurfaced online. And believe it or not, the political tension between Mosiria and Babu never truly disappeared.
Even today, the two occasionally exchange subtle attacks in public interviews and social media. But enough about the confrontations. Let’s now talk about some of the moments that made Babu Owino such an unforgettable SONU chairman.
And by the way, many people don’t know this, Babu Owino is actually credited for popularizing the famous political chants “Tibim” and “Tialala” long before they became mainstream slogans in Kenyan politics.
Now here’s another interesting moment. About 11 years ago, former President Uhuru Kenyatta publicly lectured Babu Owino during an event. And if you’re wondering what exactly Babu had done this time.
At the time, Barack Obama was preparing to visit Kenya as the sitting President of the United States. And Babu Owino strongly felt that Obama needed to visit the University of Nairobi during the trip. So instead of quietly suggesting it, He wrote a direct letter to the Office of the President demanding the visit.
A few days later, Uhuru Kenyatta confronted him publicly over it.
According to several former students, whenever police officers approached during demonstrations, the gathering would suddenly transform into what looked like a prayer meeting.
> “Ilikuwa demos… askari wakifika wanapata ni crusade.”
> “Babu alikuwa anabadilisha demonstrators kuwa congregants.”
> “He wasn’t preaching… he was organizing comrades.”
-Honestly… legendary tactics.
-And we haven’t even talked about the lifestyle.
-Because during his SONU days, Babu Owino lived like a celebrity.
-Technically, the SONU chairman’s official salary was only around Ksh. 6,500.
-But the office reportedly came with enormous influence and access to resources connected to student leadership, meetings, and welfare funds.
-And Babu never hid that flashy lifestyle.
-Even his student campaigns looked more like gubernatorial rallies.
-In fact, Babu once admitted during a Citizen TV interview that a single campaign cycle could cost over Ksh. 3 million.
-Now remember… he repeated that process four different times.
-And partying?
-That was also part of the brand.
-KTN once aired a feature alleging that Babu Owino had spent nearly Ksh. 14 million on a birthday celebration.
-I cannot confirm how accurate that figure was…
-But honestly, with SONU Babu, nothing sounded impossible.
-Eventually, in 2016, Babu’s fourth term finally came to an end.
-And many people assumed his political dominance was over.
-But in reality…
-That was only the beginning of a much bigger stage.
-Because soon after, Babu shifted his attention to national politics and contested for the Embakasi East parliamentary seat.
-And despite being viewed as controversial, he still won the election by roughly 4,000 votes.
-And from that point onward…
-Parliament became the new entertainment arena.
-One of the earliest dramatic moments happened during his swearing-in in 2018.
-And barely a month later, he found himself clashing physically with then-Starehe MP Jaguar inside Parliament.
-But honestly, the funniest part came afterwards.
-Because during a live parliamentary session, Babu was asked to apologize.
-And his explanation became an instant classic.
-And over the years, those moments have never really stopped.
-Like this incident during the heated BBI debates in Parliament in 2021.
-Tensions between rival MPs were extremely high, and according to Sankok, Babu Owino allegedly decided to strategically hide his crutches before chaos erupted.
-And here was Sankok during the following parliamentary sitting.
-Then there was the famous kitenge dress code incident.
-Parliamentarians had been encouraged to wear kitenge attire during one session.
-But when Babu Owino was questioned about why he had ignored the dress code…
-His answer completely stole the show.
(Watch in Video)
-And another unforgettable moment happened during the vetting of the late Professor George Magoha.
-For context, Magoha was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi during Babu’s SONU reign.
-And because Babu respected him deeply, he insisted on participating in the parliamentary vetting process.
-That decision caused minor chaos in Parliament.
-And sometimes Babu didn’t even need physical confrontations.
-His words alone were enough.
-“Academic dwarf.”
-“Keep quiet when intelligent people are speaking.”
-“I withdraw… but I will not apologize.”
-Classic Babu Owino.
-And his political energy didn’t stop in Kenya.
-At one point, he even threatened to organize demonstrations in Uganda following the arrest of Bobi Wine.
-And interestingly, when President Museveni visited Kenya in 2024 during Raila Odinga’s AUC campaign activities, he still had something to say about Babu Owino.
-But despite all the chaos, controversy, and theatrics…
-The biggest turning point in Babu Owino’s life came in January 2020.
-This followed the shooting incident involving DJ Felix Orinda, popularly known as DJ Evolve, at B-Club Nairobi.
-Although DJ Evolve survived, the incident nearly destroyed Babu’s political career.
-The case became extremely serious, and at one point, imprisonment seemed like a real possibility.
-However, the matter was eventually resolved through an out-of-court agreement.
-And according to Babu himself, that incident completely changed his life.
-He says it pushed him to abandon alcohol and drug use and rethink the direction of his life.
-And in a recent interview discussing DJ Evolve’s condition, Babu stated that although he considers the shooting accidental, he still accepted responsibility.
-He claims to have spent over Ksh. 70 million on DJ Evolve’s treatment while continuing to pay approximately Ksh. 500,000 monthly for his care.
-But regardless of everything…
-One thing many people agree on is that Babu Owino somehow never lost his political aura.
-And that became especially visible during the 2024 Gen Z protests.
-While many politicians were rejected by protesters and reportedly escaped Parliament using underground routes…
-Babu Owino was among the very few politicians openly embraced by the demonstrators.
-And today, even as Kenya’s political landscape continues changing, there are still many people who believe Babu Owino could eventually become the next dominant political figure from the Nyanza region.
-And some even believe… that one day, he might seriously run for President of Kenya.
