DPP urges court to jail Obado and co-accused over Sharon Otieno murder

A collage of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and the late Sharon Otieno/FILE

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has urged the Milimani High Court to convict and jail former Migori Governor Zacharia Okoth Obado and his two co-accused over the killing of university student Sharon Otieno.

In final submissions, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichuhi told the court that the evidence on record proves a deliberate and well-coordinated plan to murder Otieno in order to silence a key witness and avert political scandal and reputational damage.

“The evidence paints a coherent picture of the accused acting in concert, with a shared intention to eliminate Sharon Otieno and silence a witness to avoid political fallout, reputational harm and embarrassment,” Gichuhi said.

The prosecution argued that the killing was not spontaneous. It said it was a joint criminal enterprise carried out through trusted insiders. According to the State, Obado’s former personal assistant, Michael Juma Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero played central roles in the execution of the plan.

The court heard that Oyamo and Obiero were at Graca Hotel on the night of September 3, 2018, the last place where Sharon Otieno and another individual were seen before they were allegedly abducted.

Prosecutors said the vehicle used during the operation, registration number KCL 418K, was linked to Obiero’s household and was driven by a close associate, a detail they said strengthened the chain of evidence.

Gichuhi walked the court through what the DPP described as overwhelming proof, including witness testimony, forensic findings, cybercrime reports and phone data analysis. She said the material evidence fits together to form a complete account of how the crime was planned and executed.

“From the start, we committed to showing the court that the evidence, like pieces of a puzzle, forms a complete picture of the events that led to Sharon’s tragic death,” she said.

The prosecution dismissed the defence case as inconsistent and contradictory. It argued that the explanations offered by the accused were an afterthought meant to cast doubt where none exists.

“There is no reasonable doubt,” the State said, urging the court to hold the accused fully responsible.

Obado, however, maintained his innocence. Through his lawyers, he denied any role in Sharon Otieno’s killing and rejected claims of conspiracy with his co-accused. While acknowledging a personal relationship with the deceased and responsibility for her pregnancy, Obado said this did not amount to proof of involvement in her death.

“I did not kill Sharon Otieno. I did not conspire with my two co-defendants or anyone to kill the late Sharon Otieno. I did not procure anybody to kill the late Sharon Otieno,” Obado told the court.

His defence argued that suspicion, public pressure and moral outrage cannot replace proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Counsel said the prosecution had failed to directly link Obado to the act of murder.

The trial, which has drawn national attention since 2018, is now at a critical stage after both sides closed their cases. The court has already ruled that Obado, Oyamo and Obiero have a case to answer.

Presiding judge Cecilia Githua directed all parties to appear in court on March 18, 2026, to finalise procedural issues and formally set the date for delivery of the judgment.

The upcoming mention is expected to pave the way for a decision in one of Kenya’s most closely watched murder trials.