The High Court in Nairobi has found former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and two co-accused guilty of the September 2018 murder of university student Sharon Otieno. Justice Cecilia Githua delivered the long-awaited judgment at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday, bringing a high-profile legal saga to a dramatic conclusion after years of intense public scrutiny.
Justice Githua ruled that the prosecution successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that Obado, along with his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County Clerk Caspal Obiero, acted in concert to execute the premeditated crime. Otieno, a 26-year-old Rongo University student who was pregnant with Obado’s child at the time, was abducted in Rongo town, and her body later discovered dumped in a forest near Kodera in Homa Bay County.
According to court findings, the murder was orchestrated to eliminate the threat of political and social scandal stemming from the victim’s pregnancy and demands for financial support. Prosecutors presented overwhelming forensic, cell-tower, and testimonial evidence demonstrating that Oyamo lured Otieno into a vehicle under the pretense of a meeting, while Obiero facilitated logistics to conceal the conspiracy.
“The prosecution meticulously established a chain of evidence that leaves no doubt about the planning, execution, and active concealment of this brutal crime,” stated Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga following the verdict. “This judgment reaffirms that no individual, regardless of their political standing or executive influence, stands above the rule of law in Kenya.”
The ruling has sparked widespread reactions across the country, with human rights organizations praising the judiciary for delivering justice to the victim’s family after an arduous six-year trial. Immediately following the verdict, Justice Githua canceled the bail terms for all three convicts and ordered them remanded in police custody.
Defense attorneys representing Obado announced plans to file an appeal, citing alleged procedural gaps in the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence. The High Court has scheduled a mitigation hearing for next month, where the defense and prosecution will present their final submissions before the court hands down formal sentences. The offense of murder carries a maximum penalty of death under Kenyan law, though courts retain discretion to impose long-term custodial sentences depending on the mitigating circumstances.
