Babu Owino Hosts Ugandan Leaders in Exciting Embakasi East Benchmarking Tour
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has hosted a delegation of Ugandan legislators and councillors who visited the constituency for a benchmarking tour focused on service delivery and grassroots leadership.
The delegation visited Embakasi East on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with the Kenyan legislator saying the engagement provided an opportunity for leaders from the two countries to share experiences on constituency development.
According to People Daily, Owino described the visit as recognition of development initiatives in Embakasi East and an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation on public service delivery.
Babu Hosts Ugandan Delegation
The Ugandan delegation comprised legislators and councillors from different local governments.
Owino said he was honoured that the leaders had selected Embakasi East as a destination for their benchmarking exercise.
The purpose of such visits is generally to allow elected leaders and local government officials to observe programmes and approaches used in another jurisdiction and consider lessons that could be adapted to their own communities.
Owino said the visit focused on his approach to grassroots leadership and the work being carried out in Embakasi East.
He also said the engagement could contribute to stronger cooperation among leaders across the East African region.
Embakasi East Service Delivery in Focus
Service delivery and constituency development were among the key areas highlighted during the visit.
Embakasi East has in recent years featured education programmes, community initiatives and infrastructure projects associated with the constituency’s leadership.
Owino has frequently highlighted bursaries, classroom construction and youth-related programmes when discussing his work as the area’s MP.
The constituency has also received attention for road construction and other development projects.
The Ugandan leaders’ visit provides an opportunity for them to examine these initiatives and exchange views on how constituency-level programmes can be managed.
Babu Highlights Grassroots Leadership
Grassroots leadership was another important part of the benchmarking exercise.
Owino said the exchange would allow leaders to learn from one another and share experiences on serving residents at the local level.
He added that continued engagements could help strengthen service delivery and grassroots leadership across the region.
Such exchanges can involve discussions around community participation, local development, education, infrastructure and the relationship between elected representatives and residents.
For the Ugandan delegation, the Embakasi East visit offered an opportunity to observe how constituency-level programmes are presented and implemented in Nairobi.
Babu’s Record Draws Attention
During his remarks, Owino also referred to recognition he says he has received for his work as a Member of Parliament.
He said Embakasi East had been selected in connection with his performance as a legislator on several occasions.
A separate Infotrak survey published in July 2026 reported an 80 per cent approval rating for Owino among respondents surveyed between January and May 2026. The survey covered 87,286 respondents across all 47 Kenyan counties and assessed elected leaders on factors including accessibility, responsiveness, accountability and fulfilment of campaign promises.
The survey’s findings are perceptions reported by the respondents and do not independently establish the effectiveness of particular constituency projects.
Regional Exchange Between Kenya and Uganda
The visit also highlights interaction between elected representatives from Kenya and Uganda at the local level.
Both countries are members of the East African Community, and leaders regularly engage on issues involving trade, infrastructure, governance and regional development.
Benchmarking exercises can provide another avenue for such exchanges by allowing local leaders to compare experiences in delivering services to residents.
For constituency representatives, these interactions can also provide an opportunity to discuss challenges that communities face and approaches that have been used to address them.
Embakasi East Remains in the Spotlight
The visit comes at a time when Babu Owino has been receiving increased political attention in Nairobi.
The Embakasi East MP has recently spoken about his plans for Nairobi and has said he intends to focus more on the capital as the 2027 General Election approaches. Those political activities are separate from the Ugandan delegation’s benchmarking visit.
For the September 17 engagement, the focus was on constituency development, service delivery and grassroots leadership.
Owino said he welcomed the opportunity to share experiences with the visiting leaders and expressed hope that similar engagements would continue.
The Ugandan delegation’s visit therefore provided a platform for Kenyan and Ugandan elected leaders to exchange ideas on local governance and community development.
As East African political and local-government institutions continue to interact, such benchmarking tours could provide opportunities for leaders to learn from different approaches to serving residents and managing grassroots development programmes.
