Former Kenyan governor Okoth Obado has been convicted of murdering Sharon Otieno, a pregnant university student with whom he had an affair. A judge ruled that Obado "orchestrated a plot to eliminate Otieno," supplying the motive, instigation, and funds for the crime. Obado's former personal assistant, Michael Oyamo, and former county clerk, Caspal Obiero, were also found guilty of facilitating the murder and providing logistical support, respectively.
The three are currently in custody awaiting sentencing. "We are happy with the conviction. We believe that justice has at last been served to Sharon," stated a lawyer for the victim's family.
Otieno's murder in 2018 garnered significant public attention after a journalist reported that Otieno had confided in him about her relationship with the then-governor. The journalist recounted being abducted along with Otieno but managed to escape. Two days later, Otieno's body was discovered with evidence of stab wounds and potential sexual assault.
The journalist's account of the abduction became a critical element in the investigation, leading police to trace the vehicle used. Prosecutors noted that the vehicle's tracking device had been deliberately deactivated on the day of the abduction and reactivated the following day, indicating a calculated effort to conceal the vehicle's movements. Evidence presented during the trial established an intimate relationship between Obado and Otieno, which resulted in a pregnancy that the governor reportedly opposed.
While Obado's defense had previously claimed the affair was widely acknowledged without malice, the court rejected this argument. The prosecution presented 42 witnesses and relied heavily on circumstantial evidence to demonstrate the collaborative effort between Obado and his co-accused in arranging Otieno's killing.