Nearly eight years after the killing of university student Sharon Otieno shocked Kenya, her mother says the family’s long search for justice has brought a measure of closure, though it cannot erase the pain of losing a daughter.
Melida Auma, speaking days after the High Court convicted former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County clerk Caspal Obiero of Sharon’s murder, reflected on the emotional burden her family has carried since 2018.
“It has not been easy for the family at large,” Auma said. “The family has been grieving all the way through, and even after the judgment, we are still grieving, but because of God we shall not grieve forever; there is always life after death.”
Her remarks came after Justice Cecilia Githua found that prosecutors had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on a chain of circumstantial evidence that linked the three men to Sharon’s killing.
For Auma, the verdict marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
“The journey has been very long, very hectic with a lot of challenges,” she said. “Socially, economically, emotionally and psychologically. Psychologically, it has been tormenting. Socially, there has been a lot of bullying on social media, as if Sharon was not somebody’s daughter, as if she did not deserve dignity.”
She said that while the convictions offered justice, they could never undo the family’s loss.
“It has not ended. This is now just the beginning of a new life in that chapter.”
Auma declined to comment directly on the court’s decision, saying she respected the judicial process.
“About the judgment in court, I cannot say anything. The court had its own proceedings and whatever judgment was delivered was what God allowed,” she said. “According to me, there is nothing I can say because I have mourned my daughter enough.”
She added that, despite everything the family has endured, she had chosen forgiveness.
“She has found justice, but I have forgiven those who might have involved themselves in that act as a Christian,” she said.
Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student who was about seven months pregnant, was abducted in September 2018 alongside journalist Barrack Oduor. Oduor escaped after jumping from the attackers’ vehicle, while Sharon’s body was later discovered in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County.
The case became one of Kenya’s most closely followed murder trials, drawing national attention because of the high-profile figures involved and the lengthy court proceedings.
Following the convictions on July 23, the High Court cancelled the bond terms of Obado, Oyamo and Obiero. The three remain in custody awaiting sentencing, as the court prepares pre-sentence and victim impact reports.
For Sharon’s family, however, the judgment is not the end of their story. It is a moment of recognition after years of waiting, even as they continue to live with the absence of a daughter whose death changed their lives forever.
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