Obado faces sentencing in Sharon Otieno murder case

NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 16 – Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado is back before the High Court as the long-running murder case involving university student Sharon Otieno reaches the sentencing stage.

The sentencing proceedings are taking place at the Milimani High Court on Wednesday, with the court considering mitigation and reports before deciding the punishment for Obado and his two co-convicts, Michael Juma Oyamo and Caspal Ojwang Obiero.

The three were convicted in July 2026 after Justice Cecilia Githua found that the prosecution had proved the murder case against them beyond reasonable doubt.

Obado is seeking leniency. A pre-sentence report presented to the court indicated that the former governor had asked for consideration of a non-custodial sentence, citing his personal circumstances and the lengthy period taken to conclude the case.

The court is also considering the impact of Sharon’s death on her family.

A victim impact statement indicated that the family had suffered significant emotional and financial difficulties during the eight-year court process, including expenses linked to the murder, funeral and proceedings.

The family has also told probation officers that it does not object to consideration of a lenient sentence for Obado and has expressed openness to reconciliation, according to reports on the pre-sentence process.

The sentencing comes nearly eight years after Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student, was abducted and later found dead in Homa Bay County in September 2018. She was pregnant at the time.

In the July judgment, Justice Githua said the prosecution had established a complete chain of circumstantial evidence linking Obado, Oyamo and Obiero to the killing. The court consequently convicted all three of murder.

The High Court had cancelled their bond terms following the conviction and ordered that they remain in custody pending mitigation and sentencing.