“I Did Not Kill Sharon,” Obado Tells Court in Closing Submissions
In final submissions presented through Senior Counsel Kioko Kilukumi, Obado maintained that there was no direct evidence linking him to Sharon’s death. He argued that the case against him was built on suspicion arising from their intimate relationship rather than concrete proof
By : Mweru Mbugua
Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado has denied murdering university student Sharon Beryl Otieno, urging the High Court to acquit him on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt
In final submissions presented through Senior Counsel Kioko Kilukumi, Obado maintained that there was no direct evidence linking him to Sharon’s death. He argued that the case against him was built on suspicion arising from their intimate relationship rather than concrete proof
“I did not kill Sharon,” the defence told the court, insisting that suspicion, however strong, cannot substitute the legal threshold required for a murder conviction
Sharon was killed on the night of September 3 and 4, 2018. Her body was later discovered near River Owade in Homa Bay County. A postmortem report indicated that she died from severe haemorrhage caused by penetrating force trauma, with signs of manual strangulation. She was approximately 28 weeks pregnant at the time of her death
Obado is charged alongside his former personal assistant Michael Juma Oyamo and former Migori County Clerk Caspal Ojwang Obiero
The three face a joint murder charge over Sharon’s death. In January 2025, the court acquitted them of a second count relating to the unborn child but ruled that they had a case to answer regarding Sharon’s killing. All have denied the charges
While acknowledging an intimate relationship with Sharon, Obado admitted that DNA results showed a 99.9 per cent probability that he was the father of the unborn child. However, he argued that the relationship was neither secret nor a motive for murder
He told the court that he had been financially supporting Sharon, including covering her upkeep and medical expenses
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The defence further submitted that the two had reached an understanding and that Sharon had abandoned plans to disclose their relationship to the media, dismissing claims that he had a motive to silence her
Obado’s legal team also criticised investigators, accusing them of focusing narrowly on him because of the pregnancy while failing to explore other possible leads. They cited threatening messages Sharon allegedly received from an unidentified woman, arguing that this line of inquiry was not thoroughly pursued
“The prosecution has merely painted the 1st accused with the colours of suspicion,” the defence stated, adding that the evidence on record does not meet the threshold required to sustain a conviction
The court is expected to deliver its judgment on a later date
