Babu Owino’s Wife Claims He Is Being Detained At Wang’uru Police Station

Fridah Ongili, the wife of Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino, has said that her husband is being detained at Wang’uru police station in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.

Fridah said that Owino called her on Tuesday evening, July 18, to say that he had been arrested by the DCI at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) upon his arrival from Mombasa. He told her that he would call her back, but his phone went off and he has not been able to reach her since.

Fridah said that she spent the entire day on Wednesday searching for her husband, going to the DCI headquarters, the airport, and several police stations in Nairobi. She was eventually directed to Wang’uru police station, where she was told that her husband is being held.

Fridah said that she was denied entry to the police station, but she was able to confirm that her husband is there because she saw a police officer who knew him. She also said that she heard from other people that there is a high possibility that Owino will be transferred to an undisclosed location.

Fridah pleaded for help from the Azimio la Umoja coalition leaders, saying that her husband has done nothing wrong and that he is being held illegally. She said that she just wants to be able to give her husband food and medicine, and to see that he is safe.

The arrest of Babu Owino comes just days before the planned anti-government protests. Owino is a vocal critic of the government and has been arrested several times in the past. His latest arrest has been condemned by the opposition and human rights groups, who say that it is a clear attempt to intimidate and silence critics of the government.