NAIROBI —A former aide to ex-Migori Governor Okoth Obado told a Nairobi court on Wednesday that Sharon Otieno, the university student whose killing shocked the nation in 2018, tried to contact the governor through several go-betweens in the months leading up to her death.
Michael Oyamo, who once served as Obado’s personal assistant and now stands accused alongside him in the murder trial, testified that Otieno made repeated attempts to reach Obado. Some of those efforts, he claimed, came through phone calls from unknown numbers.
“She even tried through John Mbadi,” Oyamo told the High Court, referring to the former Minority Leader in the National Assembly. “She wanted help getting to the governor.”
Justice Cecilia Githua is presiding over the high-profile trial, which has placed renewed focus on the complex links between politics, power, and gender-based violence in Kenya.
Sharon Otieno, then a 26-year-old university student, was seven months pregnant when her body was discovered in a forest in Homa Bay County in September 2018. The killing sparked nationwide outrage, with many calling for justice and accountability at the highest levels of government.
In court, Oyamo said a woman identifying herself as “Mula Sharon” reached out to him in mid-2018, claiming she was pregnant and seeking financial support. He testified that he relayed the messages to Obado but insisted there was no ongoing communication between the two.
“I told the governor that someone was reaching out and saying she needed help,” he said. “That’s all I knew.”
Obado, Oyamo, and former Migori County Clerk Caspal Obiero are all facing charges in connection with Otieno’s murder. Prosecutors allege that the killing was planned and carried out with the full knowledge of the three men.
The court has already ruled that they have a case to answer, following months of witness testimonies and cross-examinations. All three have since begun presenting their defence.
Obado, who has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, took the stand earlier this year, denying any involvement in Otieno’s death.
The trial has moved slowly over the past five years, hampered by delays and legal challenges. But for Sharon Otieno’s family and advocates of women’s rights, it remains a powerful symbol of impunity and the dangers many women face when they speak up against powerful figures.
Outside court, a small group of demonstrators held up signs reading “Justice for Sharon” and “No More Stolen Lives.”
The trial continues next week, with more defence witnesses expected to take the stand.
