Babu Owino spends weekend in cell after DNA test, home search

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino will be arraigned in court Monday after spending the weekend in custody following the shooting of a club disc jockey on Friday morning.

Detectives have progressed with investigations, conducting a DNA test to firm up the case against the legislator accused of shooting and injuring Felix Orinda, alias DJ Evolve, at a popular nightclub in Kilimani.

The legislator was arrested on Friday morning and taken to Kilimani Police Station. His lawyer Cliff Ombeta said yesterday that his client was transferred to Gigiri Police Station on Friday evening to reduce the visits by his friends and constituents, who were slowing down the investigation.

“It’s at Gigiri where his fingerprints and other formalities were taken yesterday,” said the lawyer.

After midday on yesterday, Babu was driven to his Kileleshwa home, where detectives searched and took away some ammunitions. His gun and nine rounds of ammunition, together with a spent cartridge, had already been confiscated on Friday.

“We then went to Kilimani Police Station, where a statement was recorded on the fresh findings of the search, before we proceeded to the Government Chemist for a DNA test,” said the lawyer.

Mr Ombeta said the legislator had paid a Sh600,000 hospital bill for DJ Evolve, who is said to be recuperating well at Nairobi Hospital after surgery in his neck.

 “Babu sent his wife the amount and she paid the hospital bill. He will continue paying the bills until the patient recovers,” said Mr Ombeta.

There are conflicting stories on how the shooting happened, even as a 13-second CCTV video shows a man dressed in an orange T-shirt, believed to be Babu, pull out a gun and aim at a man in a black T-shirt before placing it back. It further captures two men dragging away the injured man.

Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti on Friday said the legislator will be charged with attempted murder.

“It is apparent that he wanted to kill the man,” Mr Kinoti said.

But Mr Ombeta said the charges will depend on the condition of the patient, who he is happy that “he is recovering well”.

“Charges are hard to determine since the victim is still in hospital. The status of the patient will play a key role in preferring charges, whether assault, grievous harm, attempted murder or misuse of a firearm,” he said.

He further said his client should not be charged just based on the short clip, claiming that there are other things that transpired, as Babu had been in that club for several hours.

According to Ombeta, the “two friends,” Babu and the DJ, were chitchatting while having fun when the DJ teased the legislator, asking if he really had a gun on him.

He said Babu drew his gun, not realising that he had held the trigger because he was intoxicated, sending a bullet into the DJ's neck. He said that is what is on record at the police station, and not the one that went round about the MP shooting the man in self-defence from would-be assassins.

“That was just a political statement,” Mr Ombeta said.