The mother of late youth leader Elvis “Beast” Otieno has revealed that Embakasi East MP Babu Owino financed her son’s university education and mentored him politically.
Speaking at Otieno’s memorial in Awasi on Saturday, 8 August, she said she never paid his university tuition and praised the legislator for the significant role he played in supporting and shaping her son’s life.
Otieno, a former
Technical University of Mombasa Students Association (
TUMSA
) president, died on July 20, 2026, after collapsing during a meeting in Mombasa.
“First, there’s a man, there’s a man that I respect. There’s a man that I love as a mother. There’s a man who mentored my son politically,” she stated.
She explained that Owino had ensured her son pursued and completed his university degree, adding that she had not contributed towards his tuition.
“There’s a man who made my son do his degree. I never paid a shilling. The man is in this crowd. The man is called Babu Owino,” she told mourners.
Her remarks were met with applause, with mourners acknowledging the Embakasi East MP, who was present at the memorial.
Otieno, popularly known as “Beast”, was a former president of the Technical University of Mombasa Students Association (TUMSA) and became a prominent youth mobiliser after leaving university.
The Technical University of Mombasa said Otieno joined the institution as a Diploma in Procurement student before advancing to a bachelor’s degree in the School of Business, from which he graduated in 2025. He was elected a School of Business delegate in 2023 before becoming TUMSA president for the 2023/2024 academic year.
The university described him as a leader who was deeply involved in supporting students facing financial, academic and personal challenges. Hours before his death, he had visited the vice-chancellor and dean of students to advocate for a student who risked missing examinations because of unpaid fees. He had already secured a sponsor for the student and was seeking permission for them to sit the examinations.
Otieno died on Monday, July 20, 2026, after collapsing during a meeting with colleagues in Mombasa. He was taken to Premier Hospital in Nyali, where he was pronounced dead. The Technical University of Mombasa confirmed that he had collapsed during the meeting but did not give further medical details about the emergency.
Several reports subsequently linked the collapse to an epileptic attack that resulted in a fatal fall. However, the university's official account described the incident as a collapse during a meeting and did not independently state epilepsy as the cause of death.
His death came hours after he had attended a public viewing of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at English Point in Nyali. According to reports, he later collapsed while meeting colleagues.
After graduating, Otieno continued mentoring students and young people and used his networks to connect them with employment and business opportunities. He was also involved in youth political mobilisation and was remembered by colleagues for his advocacy for young people.
The revelation about his university sponsorship has added a personal dimension to tributes surrounding his death, highlighting the importance of financial support and mentorship in his journey from student leadership to national youth mobilisation.