Sharon Otieno’s mother has appealed to the court to spare former Migori Governor Okoth Obado a death or life sentence, saying the family has forgiven him and does not want to see him suffer further.
Melida Auma made the plea on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, as the High Court in Nairobi heard mitigation submissions ahead of sentencing Obado and his co-convicts, Michael Juma Oyamo and Caspal Ajwang Obiero, over Sharon’s murder.
Auma asked Justice Cecilia Githua to consider a non-custodial sentence for Obado, saying his imprisonment would bring further pain to the family. She told the court she could not bear another death in her family if he received a life or death sentence.
The three men were convicted of Sharon’s murder on July 23, 2026, after Justice Githua found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Sharon’s father, Douglas Otieno, also addressed the court but expressed anger towards Oyamo and Obiero, whom he linked to the events leading to his daughter’s death.
He said one of the two men was involved in arranging the vehicle that transported Sharon before she was killed, adding that he remained deeply hurt and angry over their roles.
The proceedings were temporarily adjourned earlier in the day after Sharon’s parents requested a Dholuo interpreter to enable them to address the court.
Sharon, 26, was killed in September 2018 while seven months pregnant. She was a student at Rongo University, and her body was later found in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County.
The case lasted nearly eight years before Justice Githua delivered the guilty verdict against the three accused in July
The court will consider the mitigation submissions and other material placed before the court before determining the sentences for Obado, Oyamo and Obiero.
