Babu Owino, a firebrand Member of Parliament from Nairobi, has been named the Top Influential Youth African Leader of the Year at the 2025 Africa Golden Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria.
The recognition, announced this week, celebrates Owino’s role as a bold advocate for youth empowerment and education across the continent. Organisers of the awards praised the 36-year-old Embakasi East legislator for “shaking up politics” and giving young people “a voice that speaks truth to power.”
In a statement, the Africa Golden Awards described his career as “a leadership journey for the history books,” adding, “Babu Owino has consistently championed the causes of the youth while proving that young leaders can lead with both vision and impact.”
Owino first rose to public prominence over a decade ago as the outspoken chair of the Students Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU). Since then, he’s carved out a unique space in Kenya’s political scene—equal parts populist, policy advocate and provocateur.
The MP holds a first-class degree in Actuarial Science, a law degree, and two master's degrees—credentials his supporters frequently cite as evidence of his commitment to education.
First elected to Parliament in 2017 on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket at just 29, Owino quickly became a leading voice among Kenya’s younger politicians. His initiatives have focused heavily on education, healthcare and support for vulnerable communities.
According to the Africa Golden Awards panel, he currently oversees programmes that support more than 50,000 people across Africa—many of them in marginalised communities.
The Lagos-based ceremony follows a string of accolades for the Kenyan lawmaker. Earlier this year, research firm Infotrak named him the best-performing MP in Kenya with a 72% approval rating, based on a national survey of 40,000 people across all 47 counties. Around the same time, Politrack Africa also awarded him Best MP at its 2025 Star Leaders Awards.
“The award is not just about me—it is about the potential of young Africans to lead, to serve, and to inspire change,” Owino said in a brief statement shared after the ceremony.
Despite his often controversial style, Owino remains one of Kenya’s most visible and active youth politicians, and his influence appears to be growing both at home and beyond the country’s borders.