Obado faces sentencing in Sharon Otieno murder case

Nairobi, Kenya, September 16 – Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado appeared before the High Court as the prolonged murder case involving university student Sharon Otieno entered the sentencing phase. The proceedings took place at Milimani High Court on Wednesday, where the court examined mitigations and reports to determine the punishment for Obado and his co-convicts, Michael Juma Oyamo and Caspal Ojwang Obiero.

The trio was convicted in July 2026 after Justice Cecilia Githua found the prosecution's evidence proved the murder case beyond reasonable doubt. Obado is requesting leniency for his sentence.

A pre-sentence report suggested that Obado had requested a non-custodial sentence, citing personal circumstances and the lengthy trial duration. The court is also evaluating the impact of Sharon's death on her family. Sharon's family expressed that they did not object to a lenient sentence for Obado and were open to reconciliation, according to reports on the pre-sentence process.

The sentencing follows nearly eight years since Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student, was abducted and found dead in Homa Bay County in September 2018, while pregnant. In the July judgment, Justice Githua concluded that the prosecution had established a solid chain of circumstantial evidence linking Obado, Oyamo, and Obiero to the killing.

The High Court had previously revoked their bond conditions and ordered them to remain in custody pending mitigation and sentencing.