Okoth Obado Seeks Acquittal, Says Sharon Otieno Murder Case Built on Suspicion, Not Evidence
Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado has urged the High Court to acquit him of murder charges in the killing of university student Sharon Otieno, arguing that the prosecution’s case is founded on “suspicions and broad brush strokes” rather than concrete evidence.
Through his lawyer Kioko Kilukumi, Obado submitted that the prosecution failed to present any direct or credible evidence linking him to Sharon’s death.
“The prosecution did not produce an iota of evidence linking him to the killing of Sharon,” Kilukumi told the court, adding that criminal convictions cannot be based on speculation, rumours, assumptions, or suspicion.
Defense Challenges Prosecution Narrative
The defense argued that none of the 42 prosecution witnesses testified to seeing the planning, execution, or financing of the murder. According to Obado’s legal team, the case rests entirely on circumstantial evidence, which they say does not meet the legal threshold required for a conviction.
Kilukumi told the court that circumstantial evidence must be incompatible with the innocence of the accused and irresistibly point to guilt, a standard he said the prosecution had failed to satisfy.
Phone Records and Alibi Raised
Obado’s lawyers pointed to mobile phone data, which they say was confirmed by the investigating officer, showing that the former governor was in Nairobi preparing for an official trip to Rwanda at the time Sharon was killed.
“The evidence of the investigating officer wholly exonerates him from the murder of Sharon,” the defense submitted.
Claims of Uninvestigated Threats
In a key submission, the defense alleged that Sharon had been receiving threats from another woman prior to her death, but investigators allegedly failed to pursue that line of inquiry.
Kilukumi argued that investigators were under a duty to investigate and eliminate all possible suspects, and that the failure to do so was fatal to the prosecution’s case.
Relationship Not Proof of Murder, Court Told
The defense maintained that Obado’s arrest was driven by his relationship with Sharon and her pregnancy, not by evidence of murder.
Court heard that Obado had allegedly agreed to buy land in Homa Bay and build Sharon a fully furnished three-bedroom house, while continuing to support her and their unborn child—facts the defense said were inconsistent with an alleged motive to kill.
“The only reason given by the investigating officer for his arrest is that he was responsible for the pregnancy,” Kilukumi submitted, accusing investigators of abandoning objectivity to confirm preconceived suspicions.
Witness Credibility Questioned
The defense also attacked the credibility of a key prosecution witness identified as PW38, describing the testimony as contradictory and unreliable, and accusing the witness of admitting to having lied to police on multiple occasions.
Awaiting the Court’s Decision
As the former governor awaits the court’s ruling, the defense insists that the case before the court is one driven by moral outrage rather than legal proof.
The High Court is yet to determine whether the evidence presented meets the standard required to place Obado on his defense or warrant an acquittal.