Former Migori governor Okoth Obado has been convicted of arranging the 2018 murder of 26-year-old student Sharon Otieno, whose body was discovered in a thicket. Judge Cecilia Githua found that Obado supplied motive, funds and instigation, while two aides provided execution and logistical support. Prosecutors presented 42 witnesses and vehicle-tracking evidence that helped link the suspects to the crime. The verdict has renewed national outrage and discussion about gender-based violence in Kenya.
Former Migori Governor Convicted Over Murder of Pregnant Student Sharon Otieno
Vigils were held for Sharon Otieno and other women who had been killed [EPA]
Former Migori county governor Okoth Obado has been found guilty of arranging the 2018 murder of 26-year-old university student Sharon Otieno. The three convicted suspects remain in custody ahead of sentencing.
Key Findings and Court Ruling
Judge Cecilia Githua, reading a verdict broadcast live on television, said Obado "orchestrated a plot to eliminate Otieno" and supplied "motive, instigation and funds to finance the criminal enterprise." The judge found that Obado's former personal assistant, Michael Oyamo, facilitated the execution, while former county clerk Caspal Obiero provided logistical support and concealment.
[BBC]
Evidence and Investigation
Prosecutors called 42 witnesses and relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including vehicle-tracking information that helped link the suspects to the abduction. A journalist from the Nation Media Group, Barack Oduor, provided a crucial eyewitness account after he and Otieno were reportedly abducted; he escaped from the vehicle and later Otieno's body was found in a thicket outside a small town in western Kenya.
Police found signs that Otieno may have been raped and that she had been stabbed in the neck, abdomen and back.
Public Reaction and Wider Context
The case gripped Kenyans and sparked protests, renewing public debate about misogyny, online abuse and gender-based violence. A national survey cited in the reporting found that at least 34% of Kenyan women said they had experienced physical violence in 2022.
Obado denied involvement in 2018; his lawyer earlier told the BBC that the affair was widely known and that there was "no shame or malice." The court rejected that account during the trial. Sentencing dates have not yet been announced.
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