SIAYA, KENYA – The family of Embakasi East Member of Parliament, Paul Ongili Owino, popularly known as Babu Owino, has categorically refuted persistent social media claims questioning his Kenyan ancestry and suggesting he is of Indian descent. Speaking from their rural home on Friday, October 24, 2025, relatives in Ogare village, Got Matar, Bondo Sub-County, asserted that the legislator is a native of Siaya County and a member of the Luo community.

The allegations, which have gained traction online in recent weeks, were dismissed as “ignorant and misleading” by family members who expressed shock at the speculation. Babu Owino’s paternal aunt, Angeline Osanya, provided a detailed account of his upbringing to counter the narrative. “Babu is our child. He was born here in Ogare, Got Matar, and he grew up here,” Ms. Osanya stated firmly on Friday. She explained that the MP, born Paul Ongili Owino, is the son of the late Dominic Owino and grandson of Pang Wuon Awuoro, tracing his lineage within the Yimbo community.

According to Ms. Osanya, the legislator spent his early years in the village before his mother relocated with him to Kisumu following the death of his father in 1996. “After his father's death, his mother took him to Kisumu where he continued his education. I hear people saying Babu is an Indian; Babu is a Luo,” she reiterated.

Corroborating Evidence from School Records

Further evidence to substantiate the family's position came from the legislator's former school. Records from Got Matar Primary and Junior School, presented on Friday, October 24, 2025, confirm that a Paul Ongili Owino was enrolled in Class One in 1994. The head teacher of the institution, Kemwel Fida, verified the records, stating that the MP attended the school until 1995 under the 8-4-4 education system before his family moved. This official documentation aligns with the timeline provided by his aunt and sentiments echoed by local residents who recalled growing up with the politician.

Biographical information available from multiple public sources consistently states that Babu Owino was born in Kisumu County and attended Kisumu Township Primary School from 1995 to 2002, before proceeding to Kisumu Boys' Secondary School. He was raised by his mother after his father passed away when he was young. His political career began at the University of Nairobi, where he served as the long-term chairman of the student union before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Embakasi East in August 2017.

The Politics of Identity

The recent online speculation about Owino's origins has emerged amid broader political conversations in the Nyanza region. While the specific source of the claims remains unclear, they have been characterized by his family as baseless narratives intended to distract from his political work. The MP himself has recently made public posts from his village in Siaya, identifying his roots in Yimbo East and the Kachwiji Clan, in what appears to be a direct response to the swirling rumours.

Questions of identity and belonging are often weaponized in Kenyan politics to challenge a leader's legitimacy or connection to their electorate. For a prominent national figure like Babu Owino, who is also seen as a contender for higher office, such claims can be politically damaging if left unaddressed. The swift and detailed rebuttal from his family, supported by official records, represents a significant effort to definitively settle the matter and reassert his Kenyan, and specifically Luo, heritage. The family described the claims as not only false but also offensive to the memory of their departed relatives.