Nine years after Sharon’s murder, a courtroom plea for mercy jolts Obado case

For nearly eight years, the murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno has been a story of abduction, bloodshed, courtroom battles and a former governor fighting a prosecution case that threatened to permanently reshape his life.

On Wednesday, the case took an extraordinary turn.

As former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Juma Oyamo and former Migori County clerk Caspal Ajwang Obiero waited to learn the punishment for a crime they have already been convicted of, Sharon’s parents stood before the court and asked for mercy — at least for Obado.

Sharon’s father, Douglas Zachariah Otieno, told the High Court that the former governor had sent relatives to his home seeking reconciliation. He said the family had forgiven Obado and would accept a non-custodial sentence if that was what the court decided.

It was a remarkable development in a case that began with one of Kenya’s most shocking killings in 2018 and culminated, eight years later, in a murder conviction against three men.

But the prosecution immediately drew a line between forgiveness and criminal responsibility.

The State told the court that Sharon’s parents’ wishes were relevant to sentencing but could not determine the outcome.

“This is an offence against the state… the court is the ultimate decision maker,” the prosecution submitted.

The dramatic submissions have now pushed the case into its final chapter, with Justice Cecilia Githua expected to determine the penalty for each of the three convicts on November 27, 2026.

The night that changed everything

The case began on the night of September 3, 2018.

Sharon, 26, was a Rongo University student and about seven months pregnant when she was allegedly abducted alongside Nation Media Group journalist Barrack Oduor after leaving a hotel in Rongo.

Oduor managed to escape by jumping from the moving vehicle.

Sharon did not.

Her body was later discovered in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County.

The discovery transformed what had initially been an abduction investigation into a murder case that would attract national attention and eventually place one of Migori’s most powerful political figures at the centre of a prolonged criminal trial.

Obado was arrested and charged alongside Oyamo and Obiero.

All three denied responsibility.

The case would then enter a legal marathon lasting almost eight years.

From political power to the dock

At the centre of the prosecution case was the alleged relationship between Obado and Sharon.

The prosecution argued that the relationship and Sharon’s pregnancy provided a motive for the killing.

Obado, however, maintained that he did not participate in Sharon’s murder. In his pre-sentence report, he continued to deny responsibility and attributed his predicament to political machinations aimed at damaging his reputation.

For years, the case moved through the courts as investigators, prosecutors and defence lawyers battled over evidence and the circumstances surrounding Sharon’s death.

In January 2025, Justice Githua ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require Obado and his co-accused to defend themselves. The court, however, found insufficient evidence at that stage on a separate count relating to the death of Sharon’s unborn child.

That ruling kept alive a case that had already consumed years of courtroom proceedings.

July 23, 2026: the guilty verdict

The defining moment came on July 23, 2026.

Justice Githua convicted Obado, Oyamo and Obiero after finding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge found an unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence linking the three to Sharon’s killing.

The conviction marked the collapse of the three men’s defence against the murder charge and ended the question of criminal guilt at trial level.

Their bond terms were cancelled and they were ordered to remain in custody pending sentencing.

But conviction was not the end.

It opened another legal battle: what punishment should each convict receive?

Now comes the battle over punishment

The sentencing stage has brought a different set of voices into the courtroom.

The prosecution wants the judge to consider the gravity of the murder and what it described as aggravating circumstances.

According to the State, the killing was not spontaneous but premeditated and coordinated, with the three convicts allegedly acting pursuant to a common design while playing different roles.

Prosecutors argued that the level of planning increased the culpability of all three.

They also told the court that the men were public employees, close associates and individuals known to Sharon.

Although the State indicated that the three could be treated as first offenders in terms of previous criminal records, it urged the court not to lose sight of the circumstances surrounding the murder.

The defence, meanwhile, has sought leniency.

Obado, 64, has asked the court to consider his age, health, the length of the proceedings and his circumstances. His pre-sentence report records that he continues to deny responsibility for Sharon’s murder, while also expressing a desire for reconciliation with her family.

Oyamo has expressed regret, while Obiero has also sought consideration of his circumstances.

Then came Sharon’s parents

The most unexpected intervention came from Sharon’s parents.

Douglas Otieno told the court that Obado had sent relatives to his home to seek reconciliation.

That outreach, he said, had changed the family’s position towards the former governor.

“He sent his relatives to my home for reconciliation. That is why I have come down to this end to talk to him. If the court agrees to a non-custodial, that will be okay with me because he is remorseful,” he said.

Sharon’s mother, Melida Auma, also appealed for mercy.

She told the court that a life or death sentence for Obado would amount to another devastating loss for her family and urged the court not to send him to prison.

The family said it had forgiven Obado.

But their position has not erased the prosecution’s case.

The State reminded the court that sentencing in a murder case is ultimately a judicial decision, not a private settlement between the accused and the victim’s relatives.

A family that paid heavily for justice

Behind the dramatic plea for forgiveness lies years of grief and financial hardship.

Sharon’s family told the court it had spent about Sh1.2 million attending court proceedings and another Sh3.5 million on funeral expenses.

They said they had been forced to sell a one-acre piece of family land and a cow to meet expenses associated with the funeral and the prolonged search for justice.

The family also raised concerns about supporting Sharon’s children, who are now aged between nine and 12.

That creates another dimension to the sentencing debate.

The court is not only being asked to consider the punishment of the three convicted men. It must also consider the continuing consequences of Sharon’s death on those she left behind.

The Oyamo and Obiero question

While Sharon’s parents have spoken of forgiveness towards Obado, their position has reportedly been different concerning Oyamo and Obiero.

Douglas Otieno expressed bitterness towards the two men, whom he associated with the final movements of his daughter before her death.

That distinction is significant because Justice Githua’s conviction established criminal responsibility against all three, but sentencing must still address the individual circumstances and culpability of each convict.

The court is therefore expected to consider separate mitigation and the respective roles attributed to the three men.

The long road to November 27

Wednesday’s proceedings did not produce the expected sentencing ruling.

The hearing was briefly disrupted when Sharon’s parents sought to address the court and requested a Luo interpreter. The court adjourned to facilitate their participation.

The sentencing has now been set for November 27, 2026.

Until then, Obado, Oyamo and Obiero remain in custody.

And when Justice Githua finally delivers the sentencing decision, the ruling will determine the individual penalties for the three men already found guilty of Sharon’s murder.

2018–2026: The case that refused to disappear

September 2018:

Sharon Otieno, 26 and seven months pregnant, is abducted after leaving a hotel in Rongo. Journalist Barrack Oduor escapes from the vehicle. Sharon is later found dead near Kodera Forest.

2018:

Obado, Oyamo and Obiero are arrested and charged with murder. The accused deny responsibility.

2019–2024:

The prosecution and defence battle through a lengthy trial involving extensive evidence surrounding Sharon’s relationship with Obado, her abduction and the circumstances of her death.

January 2025:

Justice Githua rules that the three have a case to answer and should defend themselves.

July 23, 2026: Justice Githua finds Obado, Oyamo and Obiero guilty of Sharon’s murder, holding that the prosecution established a complete chain of circumstantial evidence linking them to the killing.

August 2026:

Pre-sentence and victim-impact reports are prepared as the court moves towards punishment. Obado seeks leniency while continuing to deny responsibility for the murder.

September 16, 2026:

Sharon’s parents ask the court to consider a non-custodial sentence for Obado and say they have forgiven him. The prosecution argues that the family’s wishes cannot determine the sentence.

November 27, 2026:

The High Court is scheduled to deliver the sentences for Obado, Oyamo and Obiero.

A case now at its most consequential point

For nine years, Sharon’s name has been inseparable from one of Kenya’s most closely watched murder cases.

Her death ended a young life and left children without their mother. It also set in motion a criminal investigation that eventually reached the highest levels of Migori’s political establishment.

Now the courtroom has entered a different moment.

There is forgiveness from Sharon’s parents.

There is a prosecution insisting on the seriousness of the offence.

There are three men awaiting individual punishment after conviction.

And there is a judge who must weigh all those competing considerations before deciding what the law requires.

On November 27, the long-running Sharon Otieno case will enter its final sentencing chapter.

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