Obado has case to answer in Sharon Otieno murder, High Court rules

The High Court on Thursday ruled that former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his two co-accused persons have a case to answer in the brutal 2018 murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno and her unborn child.

Lady Justice Cecilia Githua, in her ruling, stated that the prosecution had proved a prima facie case against Obado, alongside his aides Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero.

The three are accused of murdering Ms. Otieno and her unborn child on the night of September 3, 2018 in a forest within Homa Bay County.

The prosecution closed its submissions in the case last year after presenting 42 witnesses, among them a journalist who was abducted alongside Ms. Otieno prior to her eventual killing. He however escaped after jumping out of the moving vehicle.

“In a tweak of tactics, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) used prosecution-guided investigations to collect evidence that led to the decision to charge the accused persons,” the ODPP noted in a statement.

The case was hence set for mentioning on February 25, 2025 for further directions.

Obado, in his final submissions before the court last year through lawyers Kioko Kilukumi and Rodger Saganba, argued that the prosecution failed to present a strong case against him.

The former Governor submitted that he had an open relationship with Ms. Otieno and was willing to support her and their unborn child.

Oyamo and Obiero also urged the court to acquit them, claiming that prosecution witnesses provided false testimony. They claimed that the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to support a conviction.