This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
Published on July 12, 2021, the murder trial of Sharon Belyn Otieno and her unborn child entered its first day in court, with Migori Governor Okoth Obado as the chief suspect.
Obado, along with his co-accused Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero, is charged with two counts of murder. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Haji, had previously stated that the DPP would not drop the murder charges against Obado.
Initially, a first hearing was set for March 2020, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 containment measures. The hearing was later rescheduled for July 5-15, 2021, but was again adjourned after the accused sought a delay.
On July 12, 2021, the court set new hearing dates from July 12 to July 15. During the proceedings, Obado requested the court to remove the lawyer representing Sharon Otieno's family, citing that he held privileged information.
Obado claimed that the lawyer, Prof. George Wajackoyah, had visited him at Gigiri Police Station on September 23, 2018, and had discussed the murder case. Obado stated that he was convinced that Wajackoyah had good knowledge of criminal law practice.
Separately, Obado faced corruption charges following investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). He, along with four of his kin, were arrested and charged with abuse of office and embezzlement of public funds. The Governor's children received a cumulative Sh38.9 million out of the Sh73 million stolen from county coffers.
