Former Migori County governor Okoth Obado has been convicted by the Milimani High Court over the murder of Sharon Otieno.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, July 23, 2026, by Lady Justice Cecilia Githua, the court ruled that the prosecution, through evidence adduced, had proved Obado’s involvement in the killing of his former lover Sharon.
The court found Okoth Obado, Michael Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero guilty of murder.
According to Justice Githua, Obado had a strong motive to ensure that his illicit relationship with Sharon remained hidden from the public, thus making him a beneficiary of her death.
Obado, the first accused, and his two co-accused were overwhelmingly linked to the murder of the mother of three.
Obado and his co-accused were convicted based on circumstantial evidence, as the court noted that none of the 42 prosecution witnesses directly witnessed the killing.
“The first accused had a strong motive to ensure that his illicit relationship was not known by the public, thus making him a beneficiary of the death of the deceased,” Judge Githua ruled.
“It cannot be a mere coincidence that the first accused, in his defence, said he was not worried about the illicit relationship being known since it was known to his family and the public.
“It cannot be entirely true that the members of the public knew about his relationship with the deceased.”
The judge further held that the support offered by Obado after Sharon declined to terminate the pregnancy was not genuine.
Remanded
Meanwhile, Obado and the co-accused have been remanded pending their sentencing.
The three will remain in custody until August 18, 2026, when the matter will be mentioned virtually.
The court gave the orders after Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichui sought to have the three convicts remain in custody awaiting sentencing.
The prosecution needs more time to avail the previous records of the accused and a pre-sentencing report to be tendered in court before they are sentenced, Gichui argued.
Bail terms
Obado’s lawyer, Kioko Kilukumi, urged the court to extend the convict’s bail terms to the date of sentencing.
“My lady, I am urging the court to extend the bail terms for my client (Obado) to the date of sentencing. This court has discretion to extend the bail terms up to the date of sentencing,” Kilukumi said.
However, Kilukumi’s submission was rejected.
“Pending the pre-sentence report, which should be produced in 21 days, the convicts will be remanded in custody until August 18, 2026,” Judge Githua ordered.
The matter will be mentioned on August 18, 2026.
