DJ Evolve Regains Voice After 3 Years Of Being Unable To Speak

Felix Orinda popularly known as DJ Evolve on Thursday, April 20 celebrated regaining his voice after three years of being unable to speak normally.

His father, John Orinda, had previously noted that he needed at least three surgeries to regain his voice, adding that the tracheostomy he relied on had a blockage.

“We asked the doctor who has been treating Evolve since the shooting how long Evolve has to stay with the tube and he said my son has a blockage that needs to be removed.

"It will need three surgeries and they are not very easy to do. This is when he will get his voice back,” John Orinda said.

The entertainer would later issue an update to his fans that his voice was restored after undergoing a successful eight-hour surgery on March 6, 2023.

“I never thought this day would come but I have finally regained my voice back. I have truly seen God's works.

"I prayed before going for the surgery and asked God to stand by my side all through the surgery. And Indeed, he did exactly that," DJ Evolve said.

The Disc Jockey is, however, still practising how to sit and remains in a wheelchair. The development came three years after DJ Evolve was allegedly shot in the neck by Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino at a nightclub in Nairobi's Kilimani Estate on January 17, 2020.

A Nairobi court had in 2021 approved a deal between Babu Owino and DJ Evolve to have an attempted murder case against the Legislator withdrawn. The Director of Public Prosecution had charged Owino with the attempted murder of DJ Evolve after the incident which sparked a nationwide uproar.

The deal also saw Owino offer to clear Orinda's Ksh17 million hospital bill, pay his nursing costs until full recovery, continue paying for his medical bill, and buy the DJ a custom-made vehicle for his entertainer job.

DJ Evolve noted in the agreement that the deal was not an admission of guilt but the two would remain friends as they were before the January incident.

His family also agreed that the MP should focus on getting the money first to meet their needs and a court case would only serve against the interests of both sides.

On Tuesday, April 18, Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi turned the tables against Owino by ruling that the lawmaker had a case to answer over the misuse of a firearm, putting him to his defence over the matter while being accused of firing one bullet with the intent to shoot DJ Evolve.

“After evaluating prosecution evidence and all the exhibits including CCTV footage, l find that the prosecution has proved a prima facie case against the accused person. I, therefore, find him with a case to answer and accordingly place him on his defence,” Ochoi ruled, ordering Owino to defend himself on June 15, 2023.

Side-by-side image of Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and DJ Evolve. /FILE