FORMER MIGORI GOVERNOR OBADO, TWO AIDES FOUND GUILTY OF MURDERING SHARON OTIENO

Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his co accused, Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero, have been found guilty of the 2018 murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, July 23, Justice Roselyn Githua ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, establishing a clear and unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence linking the three men to Sharon’s abduction and killing.

Sharon, who was seven months pregnant, was abducted on September 3, 2018 after leaving Graca Hotel in Rongo alongside Nation Media Group journalist Barrack Oduor. Oduor escaped by jumping from a moving vehicle, while Sharon’s body—bearing multiple stab wounds—was later discovered in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County.

The court found that Obado had a strong motive to silence Sharon and prevent details of their relationship and pregnancy from becoming public, noting that he stood to suffer reputational and political damage. Justice Githua further held that Obado enlisted his aides, Oyamo and Obiero, to “manage matters relating to Sharon,” culminating in the fatal plot.

Oyamo was found to have orchestrated the meeting at Graca Hotel under the guise of delivering money on Obado’s behalf, a ruse the court said was intended to hand Sharon over to her abductors. The judge also noted that Oyamo fraudulently acquired an Airtel SIM card using another person’s identification shortly before the murder, using it exclusively to communicate with Sharon while avoiding detection.

Obiero’s involvement was similarly established through witness testimony and circumstantial evidence tying him to the events surrounding the abduction and killing.

The conviction brings to a close nearly eight years of investigations and court proceedings in one of Kenya’s most high profile murder trials. Sentencing is expected at a later date.