NAIROBI, Kenya- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has marked Mashujaa Day with a personal tribute to two men he says shaped his life in different ways: his late father, Domnic Owino, and former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga.
In a message shared on Tuesday, October 20, Owino recalled losing his father while he was in Class Three.
He remembered him as a hardworking provider who cared for the family and gave his children what he could.
“Growing up without you was not easy,” Owino wrote, adding that he wished his father could see the person he had become and hear how far the family had come. He described the memories and love his father left behind as things he would always cherish.
Owino ended the tribute to his father with the words, “Wewe ni shujaa wangu” — you are my hero.
Raila became a father figure
The MP also reflected on Raila’s role in his life, saying the former Prime Minister became more than a political leader.
Owino said Raila allowed him to serve under him and offered guidance as a father figure, mentor and adviser.
“It has been a year since we lost you, yet your absence is still deeply felt,” he wrote, referring to Raila’s death in October 2025.
The former Prime Minister, who served from 2008 to 2013, died on October 15 last year, aged 80.
Owino thanked Raila for trusting young people and giving them the opportunity to learn from his leadership.
He said those he mentored were now trying to continue the ideals Raila stood for and carry forward his influence.
Mashujaa Day honours Kenyans who have contributed to the country, but Owino’s tribute also turned attention to everyday acts of care within families.
He praised fathers who make sacrifices for their loved ones and remembered those who have died but remain present in the memories of their families.
“Baba, we miss you,” Owino wrote of Raila, again calling him his hero.
