Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has once again pronounced himself on the now-viral Kilimani restaurant confrontation with Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, insisting his actions have been mis-characterized while detectives go over CCTV footage to establish the true sequence of events.

Speaking on an interview at Radio47, Alai addressed the allegations that he drew his firearm on the MP during the altercation last Saturday at a popular Kilimani restaurant. Alai said the encounter was uncomfortable from the onset because Babu Owino approached him despite him showing no interest in engaging.

Alai also explained why his firearm was visible during the incident, adding that he was wearing a green shirt without a jacket, making the weapon on his waist noticeable to others. However, he firmly denied ever drawing it on Babu Owino. “I didn’t draw my gun for Babu Owino, it was just falling,” Alai said, insisting the firearm remained holstered throughout the confrontation.

He described the weapon as heavy and not suited for women, implying its weight would make it hard to draw in a casual threat. “You can’t draw a gun to scare someone. A gun is drawn to be used,” he added, emphasising that he had no intention of using it.

Alai claimed that during the confrontation, a colleague sitting next to him saw the visible gun and took it, leading Babu’s camp to later assert that it was drawn during the argument. On why he didn’t withdraw from the space despite tensions, Alai said he was unsure whether the MP was armed. “I wasn’t sure if the other person (Babu Owino) was armed,” he said, suggesting that uncertainty contributed to his decision to stay rather than retreat.

According to Alai, Babu began making remarks about the Nairobi’s gubernatorial seat. Alai reiterated he had no interest in vying for governor, dismissing insinuations that their exchange was politically motivated. “I don’t want to stand as the governor of Nairobi, I have no interest,” he said.

The MCA also recounted an exchange in which Babu Owino allegedly said “nitakupanga”, a phrase Alai claimed he did not understand at the time, but which added to his sense of being threatened. He moreover scolded the MP for dragging personal and family matters into political discourse, urging that “family issues” should be kept out of politics.

Babu Owino, on his part, has given a different account. In statements to the press and police, he alleged that Alai became aggressive, pushed him and drew a firearm. Owino further claimed that the MCA went on to pour a glass of water on his face, forcing him to leave the restaurant to avoid further confrontation before reporting the matter to Kilimani Police Station.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has since taken up the case, with detectives analysing CCTV footage from the restaurant in an effort to clarify the truth. The footage, appears to show the sequence of events from when Babu Owino approached Alai’s table, initial friendly exchanges, and then a physical escalation culminating in what some interpretations of the video suggest could be Alai drawing a firearm, a point that the MCA continues to dispute.

Police have confiscated Alai’s firearm as part of the investigation, and both parties have recorded statements as the inquiry proceeds. The differing versions of events and the CCTV review have drawn public attention, with calls from various quarters for a thorough and transparent probe to determine accountability while ensuring the rule of law is upheld.