Prosecutor seeks Obado conviction as court moves toward judgment in Sharon Otieno murder case

The Director of Public Prosecutions recently urged the Milimani High Court to convict former Migori Governor Zacharia Okoth Obado and his two co accused over the 2018 killing of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno. Senior Assistant DPP Gikui Gichuhi told the court that the prosecution had demonstrated a coordinated plot and joint criminal enterprise linking Obado, his former aide Michael Juma Oyamo, and former county clerk Casper Ojwang Obiero to the abduction and murder. Gichuhi said the evidence showed the three acted “in concert and with shared intention” to eliminate Sharon and silence a protected witness to avert political fallout, reputational damage, and embarrassment to the then governor. The prosecution detailed how Oyamo and Obiero served as trusted operatives in the plan. They were allegedly present at Graca Hotel on September 3, 2018, where Sharon and a protected witness were lured and abducted. The vehicle used in the operation—registration KCL 418K—was linked to Obiero’s wife and driven by a longtime associate. Taxi driver Jackson Otieno Gombe testified that he ferried the men who took Sharon into a forested area, noting they returned without her. In total, 42 witnesses testified against Obado. The final witness, Chief Inspector Nicholas Ole Sena, told the court that Obado’s personal assistant contacted Sharon on the day she was killed. He added that Oyamo lured her to a hotel in Rongo shortly before her death. Ole Sena further confirmed that DNA analysis showed a 99.99% probability that Obado fathered Sharon’s unborn child. The Milimani High Court will reconvene on March 18, 2026, to set the date for delivering judgment in the murder case.