People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has welcomed the conviction of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his two co-accused in the murder of university student Sharon Otieno, saying the judgment should mark a turning point in Kenya’s response to femicide.
Speaking after the High Court delivered its verdict on Thursday, Karua said Sharon’s family had finally received justice after nearly eight years of court proceedings. But she argued that the length of the trial exposed deep weaknesses in the country’s criminal justice system.
“It has taken seven years and 10 months, 42 prosecution witnesses, and 81 exhibits presented by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for justice for Sharon Otieno to finally arrive,” Karua said.
“Today, as Sharon’s family sat in court to hear the verdict, we were reminded of the immense cost of justice delayed.”
While praising prosecutors for securing the convictions, Karua said justice in cases involving violence against women should not take almost a decade.
“We commend the prosecution, but justice must not take nearly a decade,” she said.
Karua called on the police, prosecutors and the judiciary to ensure every femicide case receives the same level of attention, regardless of whether it attracts national headlines.
“Across Kenya, from young girls to grandmothers, women continue to be lost to a horrific wave of femicide. Our police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the courts must bring the same rigour, urgency and commitment to every case, not only those that attract national attention,” she said.
She also urged Kenyans to take collective responsibility in confronting violence against women.
“We must all do our part to end the killing of women,” Karua said.
Her remarks came shortly after the High Court convicted Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County clerk Caspal Obiero of Sharon’s murder.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Cecilia Githua said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“It is therefore my finding that the prosecution has proved its case against the first, second and third accused persons beyond reasonable doubt. I consequently find each accused guilty of the offence of murder,” the judge ruled.
Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student, was about seven months pregnant when she was killed in September 2018.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence from 42 witnesses and relied largely on circumstantial evidence, supported by 81 exhibits. Justice Githua found that the evidence established an unbroken chain linking the three men to Sharon’s abduction and murder.
The court also found that Obado had a motive linked to Sharon’s pregnancy. It rejected his claim that he had accepted the pregnancy, ruling that evidence presented during the trial showed he had instead pressured her to terminate it.
Sharon was abducted alongside Nation Media Group journalist Barrack Oduor after they left Graca Hotel in Rongo on September 3, 2018. Oduor escaped by jumping from the moving vehicle, while Sharon’s body was later found in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.
The verdict brings to a close one of Kenya’s most closely watched murder trials and is expected to renew debate over how the country investigates and prosecutes cases of violence against women. For many campaigners, the judgment is both a measure of accountability and a reminder of the need for faster justice for victims and their families.
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