Father of the late Sharon, Zachariah Otieno, addresses the court during the mitigation and the sentence hearing of the murder case of the late Sharon Otieno at Milimani High Court, Nairobi on September 16, 2026/LEAH MUKANGAIThe father of slain university student Sharon Otieno has told the High Court that he has forgiven former Migori Governor Okoth Obado.
The father, Douglas Zachariah Otieno, also said he would not oppose a non-custodial sentence for him but expressed a different position regarding his two co-convicts.
Otieno made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing Justice Cecilia Githua during the sentencing proceedings for Obado, Michael Juma Oyamo and Caspal Ojwang Obiero.
Otieno said he had remained silent about his daughter’s death for nine years but chose to speak because of the significance of the day and the opportunity granted to him by the court.
He said his statement was mainly focused on Obado, whom he said had reached out to the family through relatives seeking reconciliation.
“He sent his relatives to my home for a reconciliation. That is why I have come down to this end to talk to him. If the court agrees for non-custodial, that will be okay with me because he is remorseful,” he said.
Otieno said Obado’s remorse and attempts to reconcile with the family had influenced his position on the sentence.
However, he told the court that he had a different view regarding Oyamo and Obiero, whom he said were among the people last seen with Sharon before her death.
“But I am too bitter today seeing Oyamo and Caspal, since they were last seen with my daughter until she was killed,” he told the court.
He said he had not seen similar efforts towards reconciliation from the two co-convicts.
Otieno’s statement came as the court considered the views of Sharon’s family alongside submissions from the prosecution and the defence before determining the appropriate sentences.
The family has previously told the court that it had endured significant emotional and financial difficulties since Sharon’s death in September 2018.
Sharon, 26, was seven months pregnant when she was killed. She was a second-year student at Rongo University pursuing a diploma in Medical Records.
Her body was found in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County after she was allegedly abducted alongside Nation Media Group journalist Barrack Oduor, who escaped by jumping from a moving vehicle.
Obado, Oyamo and Obiero were convicted of Sharon’s murder on July 23, 2026, after Justice Githua found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
