NAIROBI, Kenya – The name of Felix Orinda, alias DJ Evolve, has remained closely tied to Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino, who is eyeing the Nairobi governorship in 2027, following a January 2020 shooting incident at Nairobi’s B-Club that left the DJ with life-altering injuries after Babu was captured on camera firing a gun.
Reflecting on the incident, Babu said, “This has been a serious issue… something happened. It was quite unfortunate,” as he addressed public scrutiny over the case.
The Embakasi legislator on Monday, May 4, responded to renewed criticism, including his acquittal in August 2023 on charges of misuse of a firearm, a ruling attributed to “poor investigation by the prosecution and gaps in the ballistic evidence.”
He acknowledged public anger over the outcome, stating, “I took responsibility as a leader. People are saying, ‘in a working state, Babu should be in jail’. I agree, I should be in jail, I agree. But there are different types of justice. There is the retributive justice that says ‘punish’… then there is restorative justice.”
Babu also detailed the financial and medical support he says he has provided over the years, saying, “I have been taking care of medical bills, up to now…. I have taken loans from banks…from my sacco.
“I have spent close to Ksh. 70 million on DJ Evolve. The amount of money we spend on DJ Evolve per month is close to Ksh.500,000.”
He added that Orinda’s condition has improved significantly and that he is awaiting physiotherapy, with hopes of recovery and improved mobility.
Describing the incident as transformative, Babu said, “It changed my life for the better. I used to drink, I used to take hard drugs… anything that could make anyone high. I stopped everything.”
“It was meant to change both of us. Felix also stopped consuming alcohol.”
The MP maintained that the shooting was accidental and not the result of any conflict, stating, “Felix did not annoy me. He did not do anything wrong to me. Felix just asked me about the item [gun], that ‘is it fake or genuine?’ I just removed it to show. There was nothing wrong that happened between Felix and me. That is why he forgave me.”
DJ Evolve, who has been documenting his recovery journey, said in a 2024 interview that he continues working towards regaining strength and hopes to return to DJing in the future.
