Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has reported an attack on him at a restaurant along Lenana Road in Nairobi’s Kilimani area over the weekend.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, the vocal and often controversial legislator said the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon while he was attending a private meeting at the restaurant.

According to Owino, he had gone to meet a senior clergyman and had earlier allowed his security detail to take time off for the Christmas holidays. The meeting, he said, lasted approximately 20 minutes.

As he prepared to leave at around 3:40 pm, the MP said he noticed a group of people he knew seated at a nearby table and walked over to greet them. He noted that Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai was among those present.

Babu Owino claimed that the encounter quickly turned confrontational after Alai accused him of orchestrating alleged social media attacks against the MCA’s wife. He said he immediately denied the accusation, insisting that he neither knew the MCA’s wife nor had any reason to involve family members in political disputes.

“Without provocation, he accused me of being behind alleged social media attacks on his wife. I calmly explained that I do not know his wife, that she has never wronged me in any way, and that I have no reason whatsoever to involve innocent family members in politics,” Owino stated.

“It is not my style to advance my politics by attacking women. I hold our respected ladies in the highest regard.”

In his statement, Owino alleged that the MCA became aggressive, shoved him, drew a firearm, and struck him on the chest and jaw as shocked patrons looked on.

He said several people inside the restaurant witnessed the incident.

The legislator stated that he tried to defuse the situation by urging Robert Alai to calm down and explain the reason for the confrontation. According to Owino, Alai appeared to settle briefly, and the two sat down with another individual seated between them.

However, Owino claimed that moments later, the MCA turned hostile again and threw a glass of water in his face, by which time a crowd had gathered due to the disturbance.

Fearing that the confrontation could spiral into a physical fight, the MP said he chose to leave the restaurant immediately. He reported the matter at Kilimani Police Station, where he formally recorded a complaint.

“I take this incident very seriously,” the MP said in the statement.

He described the encounter as a direct threat to his life, and called on relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take action in line with the law.

Owino also linked the incident to what he described as a pattern of harassment and threats against him following the death of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga. He cited a previous incident in Siaya during a burial, where he claimed individuals he described as goons attacked him.