This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
Kenyans Demand Justice for DJ Evolve ¶
On January 6, 2020, DJ Evolve, whose real name is Felix Orinda, was shot by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino at a popular city club in Nairobi. The incident left Evolve in a critical condition, battling for his life in hospital for six months.
After being discharged from the hospital, Evolve spoke to the media for the first time on June 29, appearing overwhelmed and dejected. His words were captured in written subtitles due to his low tone.
Following the heartbreaking story aired on NTV, Kenyans took to social media to call for justice for Evolve and his family. An online petition was launched to push for this course, with over 3,453 people endorsing it.
When the incident occurred at B-club in Kilimani, Nairobi, Babu Owino was arrested and later released on a KSh 10 million bond, which included medical care for Evolve. The bond was later reduced to KSh 5 million, giving Babu the option to either continue paying for Evolve's medical bills or terminate them.
However, Evolve's mother claimed that Babu had only paid KSh 7 million of the KSh 17 million in medical bills. She also stated that Babu had neither visited nor spoken to her since the shooting occurred.
Babu Owino denied these claims, stating that he had been unable to visit the family due to a court restriction. He also claimed that he had cleared all the medical bills, contradicting Evolve's mother's statement.
"I have not visited her because the court told me not to, I don't want to influence them, the matter is still in court," Babu Owino said in a phone interview.
