Migori Governor Okoth Obado’s Murder Trial to Commence on July 12th

The murder trial of Migori Governor Okoth Obado will kick off next week, a Nairobi court ordered on Monday.

Obado through his lawyers requested the court to postpone the matter citing COVID-19 issues but Justice Cecilia Githua rejected the application and ordered the hearing to commence on July 12th. The trial judge directed the prosecution to avail two witnesses a day.

“The number of participants will be restricted to the accused person, their lawyers, DPP team, and the victim’s family,” Justice Githua ordered.

The hearing was set to start on July 5th but the court listed it for mention instead. Justice Githua took over the case from judge Jessy Lessit following her promotion to the Court of Appeal.

Obado and his co-accused Juma Oyamo and Casper Obiero were released on bail after pleading not guilty to the murder of 26-year-old Rongo University student Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby.

Sharon disappeared on September 3rd, 2018 in Migori and was found dead near Kodera Forest two days later. An autopsy revealed that she was raped, stabbed multiple times, and strangled.

Governor Obado confessed he was in a love affair with Sharon, who was seven months pregnant at the time of her murder. A DNA test confirmed Obado sired the unborn child, who was buried next to her mother. 

The hearing was initially set to commence in March 2020 but was adjourned after courts scaled down operations over the COVID-10 pandemic.