Charles Owino is a name that many Kenyans easily identified with having been a long serving National Police Service Spokesperson. He is an outspoken individual who got animated when it came to defending police officers. Owino appeared on a number of interviews and wowed viewers with his eloquence as well as a suave ability to answer tricky questions that painted police officers in bad light.
The high-ranking officer was all set to run for the Siaya gubernatorial seat in the 2022 general elections but found the kitchen too hot.
Here is the story of Charles Owino as told by WoK.
Age
Mr. Owino revealed in an earlier interview that he had clocked the age of 50.
Career
The outspoken cop has worked in various capacities before landing where he is at the moment.
In January 2018, he received a promotion and was named the director of communication services in the National Police Service. He took over the position from George Kinoti who was appointed the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI)
The previous year, he had been appointed assistant inspector general alongside seven other senior officers.
From mid-2013, he had served as OCPD Njoro before being moved to Ndiwa. He was then put in charge of security in Kisumu county.
Moved to Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons (KNFP)
Charles Owino has moved to the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons (KNFP) in the latest changes announced by the Inspector General of Police. He will be the deputy director.
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Politics
In February 2021, he expressed his intention to retire from the police force and venture into politics.
He will vie for the Siaya gubernatorial seat and is optimistic of being the next county chief.
“I have worked in the police service and I am prepared to win. I am your son and I have in the past not been close to ODM and its elected leaders due to the nature of my work and now that they are in the system, I have sat with them and enjoyed their company,” he was quoted by Kenyans.co.ke.
He further stated that he will introduce sustainable projects to benefit the people of the county.
Wealth and Corruption
After working in the force for a while, he is able to live comfortably. During a vetting process years earlier, he freely divulged his source of wealth. He said he is the only living solution of problems facing the police service. The former deputy inspector general revealed that he gets millions from his fish farm.
He went on to say that corruption in the service was attributable to poor morale and lack of proper remuneration, that it was unfair to put so much power in an individual with too little in their pockets.
“It is said that police officer armed with a dog and a gun is earning sh16,000 in a month compared to a KK guard who earns Sh35,000 only with a rungu,” he said in a 2015 interview.
Family
As a man in the limelight from time to time, he has chosen to keep his family out of the public eye. However, he once revealed that he lost the mother of his children because of a hit and run accident but justice was never served since no one got the car’s number plate.
