Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has described a recent altercation involving Embakasi East MP Babu Owino at a Kilimani restaurant as a personal misunderstanding rather than a case of political rivalry, saying the matter is now under police investigation.
Speaking during an interview on TV47, Alai recounted the events at Cedars Restaurant, where he says the confrontation occurred in the presence of several other well-known individuals.
According to Alai, the incident began when Owino, who was seated at a different table, approached him to greet him. Alai said he made it clear that he was “not very comfortable greeting him,” but the situation quickly escalated.
“He started to push my head, telling me how he will ‘banger’ me in Nairobi City County,” Alai said, adding that the conversation shifted to politics despite his insistence that he is not a candidate for any elective seat.
“I told him I’m not vying for any governorship seat. I’m not a candidate, so I don’t think I’m supposed to be in that conversation,” Alai said.
He claimed Owino persisted, even as others at the table joked about political ambitions, a move Alai said made him increasingly uncomfortable.
“When you’re doing all your politics, please don’t bring it to such a space, because then it becomes very bad for us,” he stated.
Alai alleged that Owino continued pushing him despite repeated requests to leave him alone. “I told him, please just go home. This thing has been very uncomfortable to me,” he said, adding that he urged Owino to stop involving his family in public discourse. “You’ll never see me put my family members or post my family members on these platforms.”
Addressing claims that he drew a firearm during the confrontation, Alai firmly denied the allegation. “I didn’t draw a gun on him. There was a gun on my waist, but I didn’t draw it,” he said.
He explained that because he was not wearing a jacket, someone seated next to him noticed the firearm and took it away.
Alai insisted that restaurant CCTV footage would support his account. “If you go to that restaurant, they have a video,” he said.
The MCA dismissed suggestions that the incident was driven by political competition, insisting there is no seat or rivalry between them.
“It’s not political rivalry. There’s no seat, there’s no competition anywhere,” Alai said.
He acknowledged being openly critical of Owino politically but stressed that the restaurant incident was purely personal. “Differences occur, but when people add spices to it for political mileage, that’s where the problem is,” he said.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on Sunday accused Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai of physically assaulting him, including striking him with a pistol and pouring water on his face.
In a statement, Owino described the attack as unprovoked, politically motivated, and a direct threat to his life, calling on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action.
According to Owino, the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when he attended a meeting with a senior clergyman at a popular restaurant along Lenana Road.
“Having released my security detail for the Christmas holidays, I drove myself to the venue and arrived at approximately 3:40 p.m. We held our discussions for about twenty minutes, after which I stood up to leave,” Owino said.
As he was departing, he noticed a group of people seated at an adjacent table, including Robert Alai, and approached them out of courtesy to greet them.
Owino said Alai suddenly became aggressive, accusing him of being behind alleged social media attacks on Alai’s 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. It is not my style to advance my politics by attacking women. I hold out respected ladies in the highest regard,” he said.
He alleged that Alai then pushed him, drew a pistol, and struck him on the chest and jaw in full view of patrons.
“I stood my ground and urged him to calm down, asking him to explain what wrong I had committed to warrant such a violent reaction. He appeared to cool down, and we briefly sat, with another person positioning himself between us,” Owino said.
