Fridah Muthoni Ongili, the wife of Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino, has made an emotional plea to the government to secure her husband’s release.
Upon his return from Mombasa, Babu Owino was reportedly arrested by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The alleged arrest came amid the anti-government protests sanctioned by Azimio la Umoja coalition.
In a video seen by Nairobi News, Fridah calmly recounted the events of Wednesday, July 19, when she first learned of her husband’s arrest.
According to her account, Babu Owino had called her around 11 pm on Tuesday, July 18, to inform her about his detention by the DCI.
However, since that call, she has been unable to reach him as his phone has been switched off.
Desperate to find her husband, Fridah began a frantic search, visiting various police stations in Nairobi.
She said she started at the DCI headquarters, where she was redirected to the airport, but to no avail.
She then went to Muthaiga, Gigiri, Kilimani, and the Embakasi police station, tirelessly seeking information about Babu’s whereabouts.
A source informed her that Babu Owino was being held in Wang’uru police station in Mwea.
When she arrived at the location, Fridah was not allowed entry, and despite her pleas to see her husband, she was forcibly removed from the premises due to a heavy police presence.
“I was begging them since all I want is to give my husband food and medicine since he was not feeling well on Monday. They refused me entry actually they carried me out of there at the gate there was a very heavy police presence. I was able to ascertain that my husband is there. The only problem is that he is able to be transferred now that we know where he is,” she explained.
Fridah addressed the Azimio La Umoja team and called upon the party leader Raila Odinga for assistance.
She passionately asserted that Babu Owino has always been a fighter for the rights of Kenyans and believes he has done nothing to warrant his arrest.
The arrest of Babu Owino has raised concerns among supporters and colleagues alike, as the DCI also apprehended several other Azimio La Umoja Nairobi politicians since that day.
