Sharon's dad weeps as images of daughter's foetus shown in court

Emotions ran high as images of Sharon Otieno's 28-week-old foetus were displayed in court with intestines hanging out of its body.

Sharon's father, Douglas Otieno, sobbed quietly during the court session.  All eyes, including those of Migori Governor Okoth Obado who is the first suspect in the murder trial, were fixated on the screen as the footage showed the extensive damage inflicted on the foetus.

DNA results showed that the unborn male child was Obado’s.

At the time Sharon met her death, she had suffered seven stab and two slash wounds. The first stab wound was so severe that it went through her womb. This ultimately led to the death of the unborn baby.

The first witness in the case, government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, after thorough examination, said the baby died because of sharp abdominal trauma.

Sharon, on the other hand, died as a result of severe haemorrhage because of the penetrating force trauma. The stab wounds were on her neck, stomach and back. There were also multiple cuts distributed on her upper and lower limbs.

Yesterday, Dr Samson Wanjala, a consultant on obstetrics and gynaecology, took the court through the graphic images that are being used to prove the involvement of Obado, his aides Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero in the murder that took place at Owade, Homa Bay county.

Dr Wanjala, who is a consultant at Nairobi Hospital, said the baby was never given a chance to survive because of the environment in which the death occurred.

The foetus, he said, died at 28 weeks.

He was able to establish that through projections of two ultra sounds performed on the Sharon. The lifespan of a foetus while in the mother’s womb is 40 weeks.

But according to the doctor, a foetus as young as 24 weeks old can be delivered and survive.

 “From my experience, a 28-week foetus is a normal human being with all its features. It has normal hands, legs and limbs, all features of an adult person. The only problem the premature baby may have is lung maturity,” he said.

 The court heard that the foetus had injuries. His intestines were out, and he was bleeding.

“If we had the chance, we would have gotten the loops of bowels which were hanging out because of bleeding back inside," Dr Wanjala said.

"But this would only have been possible if the environment had been different. Meaning if there was a hospital nearby and doctors to give the foetus medical intervention it deserves.”

The witness in his report presented in court further said that Sharon’s injuries were directed mainly at major blood vessels.

Sharon had injuries on both sides of his neck which is a major vessel, arteries on the thighs and abdomen. But Dr Wanjala said the abdomen area is not a major blood vessel.

Dr Wanjala said the stab wound added to the baby’s death. Another cause was bleeding.

Dr Wanjala, who is the 15th prosecution witness, started medical school at the University of Nairobi in 1970. In May 1981 he got a scholarship to go to London for further studies. 

While in London, at Queens Charlotte's and Chelsea Maternity Hospital,  he had a chance to participate in managing patients who had rhesus incompatibility.

He explained this was about babies in danger of dying while still in the uterus.

Dr Wanjala is a board member at Kenya Medical Practitioner and Dentist Council.

The court heard that the prosecution asked the council to nominate someone who can give an expert opinion in Sharon’s case.

KMPDC chief executive Daniel Yumbya nominated Wanjala around September 2021.

The doctor was given documents to peruse, including two ultra sound reports done on Sharon. One in Migori and another at Ongata Rongai-Namelock diagnostic centre. Other documents were postmortem reports.

Meanwhile, Migori county secretary Christopher Odhiambo, who is also a witness, confirmed that Oyamo and Obiero were Obado's personal assistants. 

 The case will proceed on March 22.


(edited by Amol Awuor)