DPP To Present Sentencing Submissions In Obado Murder Case As Court Sets September 16 For Mitigation
The Court also directed advocates representing the victim’s family to file and serve a Victim Impact Statement on all parties within seven days.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) will present its sentencing submissions in the high-profile murder case of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his two co-accused following their conviction in the murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno.
Former Governor Obado, Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero will appear before the High Court on 16th September 2026 for mitigation and sentence hearing.
According to a statement by the ODPP on Tuesday, the three convicted persons appeared virtually before Lady Justice C.W. Githua, where the Probation Department informed the Court that it had filed probation reports relating to each of them.
The Court was informed that the reports had been filed earlier in the day but were yet to be served on all Defence Counsel. Consequently, the Court directed that the reports be served on all parties ahead of the sentencing hearing.
The Court also directed advocates representing the victim’s family to file and serve a Victim Impact Statement on all parties within seven days.
Prosecution, through Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ms. Wangui Gichuhi, will present its sentencing submissions, while Defence Counsel will make submissions on mitigation.
The sentencing will take into consideration the probation reports, the Victim Impact Statement, the Prosecution’s submissions and the Defence mitigation.
The ODPP said the Sentencing Policy Guidelines, 2023, mandate the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to objectively assist the Court during sentencing by placing before it all matters relevant to determining an appropriate sentence. These include the applicable law, aggravating circumstances, relevant judicial precedents and any other matter that the Court may properly consider in determining the appropriate sentence.
The conviction of Obado and his co-accused marked a major milestone in a case that has gripped the nation since September 2018 when Sharon Otieno, a 26-year-old second-year student at Rongo University who was seven months pregnant, was abducted and brutally murdered in Homa Bay County.
Sharon’s body was found in Kodera Forest with multiple stab wounds. Her unborn baby also did not survive. The prosecution told the court that the murder was premeditated and linked to her relationship with the former county boss.
Obado, who served as Migori Governor from 2013 to 2022, was initially charged alongside his personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County Clerk Caspal Obiero. The trio denied the charges and have been out on bond during the lengthy trial that saw over 40 witnesses testify.
The High Court found them guilty of murder after the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that they were involved in the abduction and killing of Sharon and her unborn child.
With mitigation set for September 16, all eyes will now be on Lady Justice Githua to determine the sentence that will be handed to the three convicts, in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched sentencing hearings in recent Kenyan judicial history.
The ODPP has assured that it will ensure justice for Sharon Otieno’s family is fully served.
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