Sharon disappeared after a planned meeting
Sharon Otieno was a Rongo University student and mother. In September 2018 she was about seven months pregnant. She was abducted after leaving a meeting in Rongo together with journalist Barrack Oduor, who escaped from the vehicle. Sharon was later found dead in Homa Bay County.
This case file omits graphic forensic detail. The criminal case ultimately focused on the chain of planning, facilitation and concealment that the High Court found connected the three defendants to Sharon's murder.
A long circumstantial-evidence prosecution
The prosecution called 42 witnesses and relied on a large body of circumstantial evidence. Former Migori governor Okoth Obado denied arranging or participating in the killing. Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero also denied responsibility.
In January 2025, Justice Cecilia Githua ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case on the murder count and required all three men to present a defence. That ruling was not a finding of guilt; it meant the prosecution evidence was sufficient to require an answer.
The unborn-child count was dismissed
The accused had also faced a separate murder count relating to Sharon's unborn baby. At the no-case-to-answer stage, the High Court acquitted the three on that count because Kenyan homicide law requires a child to have completely proceeded alive from the mother's body before the offence of murder can apply. The ruling did not minimize the loss of the pregnancy; it addressed the legal definition of murder under the Penal Code.
Convictions in July 2026
On July 23, 2026, Justice Githua convicted Obado, Oyamo and Obiero of Sharon's murder. The court found that the cumulative circumstantial evidence formed a complete chain and that the three defendants acted with common intention together with other people who were not before the court.
The judgment attributed different roles to the three men. The court found that Obado supplied motive, instigation and funding; Oyamo facilitated execution; and Obiero provided logistical support and concealment. Those are findings of the trial court, not editorial speculation.
Sentencing is still pending
After conviction, the court cancelled the defendants' bond terms and remanded them in custody. Pre-sentence and victim-impact materials were prepared before the punishment stage.
On August 18, 2026, the High Court set September 16, 2026, for sentencing. Until that hearing occurs, this page does not state a prison term, life sentence or death sentence that has not yet been imposed.
Timeline
September 3–4, 2018: Sharon Otieno is abducted and murdered in Homa Bay County.
2018: Okoth Obado, Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero are charged and deny the allegations.
January 30, 2025: the High Court places the three on their defence on the murder count and acquits them on the separate unborn-child murder count.
2025–2026: the defence case and final submissions are completed.
July 23, 2026: Justice Cecilia Githua convicts all three defendants of Sharon's murder.
August 18, 2026: the court fixes September 16, 2026, as the sentencing date.