Most people assume that Daddy Owen has a natural squint in one of his eyes, but that isn’t the case.
Speaking during a radio interview, the popular gospel artiste said that his eye became squint after he was beaten up by an angry mob when he tried to rob during his thieving days.
''My friends and I had planned to steal in a matatu but things did not turn out well as the people in that matatu beat me up,'' he said.
“I came to Nairobi from home and met different people here. As a young person, I wanted to fit in the crew. I joined a gang and our work was to rob from people. I don’t like this story but I want to inspire someone who will hear it. I became a thug for three years,” he said.
He said most of his friends were killed and some were burnt to ashes but he still did it. Owen almost lost his life when he was beaten up by a huge crowd after attempting to steal from passengers.
“My friends realised that there were policemen in that car and they left without my knowledge. Like we had planned, I started the mission of stealing from the back seats but I was caught and badly beaten. That is when my eye was pierced,” he said.
He was rescued and rushed to hospital.
“I realised I needed to change my life as well as behaviour. I had fought so hard to fit in the gang but sadly none of them visited me in hospital,” he said.
Owen said that Rufftone, his big brother, stood by his side.
''He mentored me and my music was inspired by him,'' he said.
He is currently doing music and is married and has one child.