The High Court has convicted former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero of the murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno, ruling that the prosecution proved its case against the three beyond reasonable doubt.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Cecilia Githua, the court found that the evidence presented established that the three accused acted in concert, with each playing a distinct role in the planning and execution of the murder.
The court held that Obado financed the execution of the crime, while Oyamo played a central role in carrying out the plan. Obiero was found to have participated in concealing the offence.
Justice Githua ruled that their coordinated actions demonstrated a common intention to commit the crime and amounted to malice aforethought, a key ingredient in the offence of murder.
The judge further dismissed the argument that Obado’s absence from Migori County on the day Sharon was killed absolved him of responsibility, stating that the evidence showed he was actively involved in planning and facilitating the murder despite being in Nairobi at the time.
“The prosecution has proved every element of the offence of murder beyond reasonable doubt,” the court held.
The court concluded that there was overwhelming evidence linking all three accused to Sharon Otieno’s death and consequently convicted Okoth Obado, Michael Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero of murder.
The case, which has attracted nationwide attention since Sharon’s killing in 2018, now proceeds to the sentencing stage, where the court will determine the appropriate punishment for the three convicted persons.
