Babu Owino denies financial support was the basis for DJ Evolve forgiving him after the shooting
By Ascah Mwango, May 4, 2026Nairobi gubernatorial hopeful Babu Owino has hit back at critics who suggest he “bought” his way out of trouble, insisting that Felix Orinda – better known as DJ Evolve – forgave him long before any financial support was provided.
In a deeply personal TV interview on Monday, May 4, 2026, the Embakasi East MP described the 2020 shooting as a moment of “unfortunate” conduct that was entirely devoid of malice or prior conflict.
He maintained that the forgiveness he received was rooted in the DJ’s understanding that the event was a tragic accident rather than an intentional attack.
Speaking on the circumstances of the shooting, Owino stated:
“I want to tell you what happened. Felix did not annoy me. Felix did not do anything wrong to me. Felix just asked me about the item [the gun] that is it fake or genuine. I just removed it to show, to show… And that’s why he forgave me because there was NOTHING wrong that happened between me and Felix,” Babu Owino explained.
“And that’s why he forgave me otherwise, if he knew that I was after his life, he would have never forgiven me because he would have thought that probably Babu would still come for me, you see. So it is something that is very unfortunate of a leader, conduct and becoming of a leader. I took responsibility, I still take responsibility up to now,” he added.
Addressing the persistent rumours that his ongoing financial coverage of the DJ’s medical bills, which according to Babu total nearly Ksh70 million, was the price of his freedom, the Embakasi East MP was adamant that money played no role in the reconciliation.
“No, no, no, Felix forgave me from day one. I called my mom, Felix called his parents we sat, we talked, we narrated what happened, our parents knew and saw that there was nothing between me and Felix. There was no bile, there was no problem between me and Felix,” Babu stated.
“Felix forgave me from day one and Felix would have forgiven me still, it was not about the finances. Felix is a very good person by the way. I didn’t annoy him, he didn’t annoy me,” he insisted.
Babu Owino pointed to the CCTV footage of the incident as evidence that there was “no fight” or tension leading up to the discharge, describing the event as happening “instantaneously”.
He recalled that immediately after the shot was fired, it was the DJ himself who told him to get him to the hospital, after which the MP personally carried him to seek medical attention.
“If you look at that clip again for DJ Evolve [the CCTV that caught the shooting], you see that there is no fight before, there is nothing before, it was just something that was happening instantaneously. When it happened, it is Felix who told me ‘Babu take me to hospital’. I carried Felix to hospital,” Babu Owino recalled.
The Ksh28 million debt
While the MP has frequently mentioned his monthly spending of Ksh500,000 on the DJ’s home care, he also revealed for the first time the staggering debt he still carries from the initial emergency treatment.
“I took him to one of the best hospitals. Nairobi Hospital charged me close to around 28 million Kenyan Shillings. I am still paying that debt up to now. Napeana soo mbili soo mbili [Ksh200,000] every month, bado nailipa mbaka sahi,” Babu said.
Despite the ongoing financial strain and the controversy surrounding his gubernatorial bid, Babu Owino continues to promote a “restorative justice” model, claiming that his primary focus remains on the DJ’s eventual return to walking.