Babu Owino: Why 80% of Prisoners Are Linked to Single-Parent Backgrounds

Speaking on the Obinna Show Live, Kenyan politician Babu Owino made a striking claim regarding the demographics of individuals in prison.

Owino, known for his often-candid remarks, asserted that a significant majority of incarcerated people come from single-parent households, attributing this to the impact of upbringing on an individual's life trajectory.

The Upbringing Connection

During his appearance with Oga Obinna, Owino directly stated that most of the people in Prison, apart from being brought up in a single-parent family setting, are incarcerated due to gender-based violence.

“If you go to prison, there are some statistics that show that 80% of those in prison are from single parenthood or total orphans.”

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He elaborated on this, explaining, “Poor parenting breeds traumatized children. Traumatized children bring up a broken generation,” he added.

Owino stressed the importance of how children are raised, implying it directly influences whether they might end up in difficult situations, including prison.   

 "The root cause of gender-based violence is upbringing. Poor bringing will most likely lead to that."

Addressing Conflict and Family Dynamics

Owino also delved into various aspects of relationship conflict and family well-being. He highlighted the devastating consequences of gender-based violence, noting that it often leads to death, with the surviving partner facing imprisonment and children suffering trauma.

To break this cycle, he advised couples facing such issues to pray about it, and if possible, to involve parents, elders of the church, or leaders of the church, as well as mentors, to seek solutions.

“Most of this gender-based violence ends up in very difficult situations like death. So, the best thing to do when you are faced with such issues is to pray about it, involve your parents as a couple, because if one couple dies, the other one will go to prison automatically, and then the children will suffer,” Babu Owino stated.

Financial Planning and Mutual Respect

Owino also touched on financial planning within a marriage, advising men to programme their finances monthly to avoid daily requests for money.

He provided practical advice on budgeting, suggesting adapting to available resources.

"If you don't have money, you don't need to eat sausages if you can eat bread. You don't have to drink chai ya maziwa if there's no money for maziwa. You take strong tea. That is still tea. That is how you plan.”

Emphasising mutual respect, Owino stated, "The first most important person in a family or in a marriage is a husband or a wife".

He urged both partners to prioritise each other, saying, "The woman should know that the most important person in a marriage or in a house is a husband. Therefore, that husband should be given the best plate and the best food".

Conversely, husbands should also "appreciate their women".