Sharon murder hearing adjourns as co-accused seeks time to counter Obado testimony

The hearing of the murder case against former Migori Governor Okoth Obado was yesterday adjourned after his co-accused asked for more time to internalise the testimony of the ex-county chief. 

Obado had on Wednesday distanced himself from the abduction and eventual murder of Sharon Otieno in 2018, saying he was not involved in any way in the killing. 

In what appeared to be throwing his co-accused under the bus, Obado told trial judge Cecilia Githua that he did not conspire with or procure anyone to kill Sharon, who was his girlfriend at the time.

Obado was charged alongside his personal assistant Michael Oyamo and aide Casper Obiero with murdering Sharon. 

“I did not kill Sharon Otieno. I did not conspire with my two co-accused persons or anyone to kill the late Sharon Otieno. I did not procure anybody to kill the late Sharon Otieno. The killing whether by my co-accused or anybody did not have my involvement,” Obado said during his testimony on Wednesday. 

The hearing had been scheduled to run for three days from Wednesday to Friday. 

However, on Thursday, Oyamo, who was expected to launch his own defence, sought an adjournment, saying he was not ready to proceed. 

“Our expectation was that the first accused person (Obado) would call a witness today and that our client would start his defence on the dates in May,” his lawyer said.

Oyamo also told the court that there were claims made by Obado during his testimony which he needed time to internalise and respond to. 

"My client needs time to internalise the evidence of the first accused and prepare adequately to respond to them," the advocate said. 

While the prosecution opposed the application for adjournment, Justice Githua said the court was convinced to grant it. 

"There appears to be some misunderstanding on how the three days for hearing would be utilised. The second accused will need time to prepare and produce his witnesses and as such, I will allow the adjournment for today," the judge ruled. 

The adjournment was later extended to May 19, after Oyamo’s lawyer told the court he would not be available today to proceed with the hearing, as he has a sick child who was scheduled for surgery. 

Lawyers from both sides, including those watching brief for Sharon’s family, agreed that there was a need to adjourn for their colleague’s sake.  

"'It is true, our colleague has had a sick child for a while now,” the prosecution said.

The court thus ruled that the hearing be adjourned. 

"In the face of such compelling reasons, the court allows the application for adjournment. We resume on May 19, 2025," Justice Githua said. 

In his testimony on Wednesday, Obado distanced himself from the plot to kill Sharon, accounting for his movements on the days leading to the tragedy.

Sharon, 26, was abducted on the evening of September 3, 2018 and murdered that night inside Kodera Forest in Homa Bay county. 

Obado said he was in Nairobi on that day, having arrived from his rural home in Uriri, Migori county, on Sunday, September 2. 

He told the court he arrived in Nairobi at around 9 pm and stayed at his Lavington home that night. 

“On September 3, I left the house at 10 am to meet my friends at Lavington Mall, where we stayed together until around 3 pm when we went for a late lunch,” Obado narrated. 

Later that day, he said he visited Ida Odinga, wife of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, at her Karen residence, where he was for the better part of that Monday evening. 

Obado said he learnt of Sharon’s death the following morning. 

He, however, admitted that he was in a relationship with Sharon and that the affair was known by his family and hers, as well as workers at the county government, which he led at the time. 

“The relationship between Sharon and I was an open secret and staff within the Migori county government were aware of the affair.” 

He acknowledged that Sharon was his lover and that he was responsible for her pregnancy. 

Sharon was seven months pregnant at the time she was killed. The foetus died after the mother was stabbed eight times in the abdomen. 

Postmortem showed the fatal blow to the baby was a single knife stab.