High Court Judge Cecilia Githua delivers judgment in the Sharon Otieno muder trial at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday, July 23, 2026/SCREENGRABThe money and promises made to slain university student Sharon Otieno were not acts of goodwill but part of a calculated scheme to keep her silent about her relationship with former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, the High Court has found.
Delivering judgment Thursday, Justice Cecilia Githua said the evidence presented during the trial showed that cash sent to Sharon and promises of a house were intended to delay or prevent her from making public her affair with Obado as plans to eliminate her were allegedly being hatched.
The judge rejected the defence's argument that the money demonstrated genuine concern for Sharon's welfare.
"I am persuaded to agree with the prosecution's submissions that the various amounts of money conveyed from the first accused to the deceased, either through PW28 or the second accused, were not genuinely intended to promote her well-being," Justice Githua said.
The judge found that the payments were instead "designed to contain, manage and delay, or make Sharon abandon her intention to publicise her affair with the first accused as a scheme to eliminate her and silence PW9 was being devised."
The court heard that Sharon had received money through intermediaries, while there had also been discussions about providing her with a house in Homa Bay.
However, Justice Githua ruled that the promise was never fulfilled and was part of efforts to placate her.
"The same argument applies to the first accused's promise to buy a plot and construct a three-bedroomed house for Sharon in Homa Bay, since the promise was yet to be fulfilled by the time she met her untimely death," the judge said.
The findings formed part of the court's analysis of the prosecution's case as it examined the relationship between Sharon and the first accused and the events leading to her murder in September 2018.
According to the judgment, the financial support and promises were not viewed as evidence of care but as part of a broader pattern of conduct aimed at preventing Sharon from exposing the relationship publicly.
The court said the prosecution had successfully demonstrated that the payments and assurances were consistent with efforts to manage the situation while a plot against Sharon was allegedly unfolding.
Justice Githua continued reading the judgment, which addresses the evidence against each accused person before making the court's final determination on the murder charge.
