Owiti inherited his artistic talent from his mother, a good pot maker. After his schooling, he worked with the Chemchemi Creative Center in Nairobi.  At the invitation of Ulli Beier he spent six months in 1966 with the artists' community in Oshogbo, Nigeria.

In 1968 he was sponsored by the Farfield Foundation for three months as an artist in rsidence at the Sussex University.