The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has delivered a forceful appeal before the Milimani High Court, urging the bench to hold former Zacharia Okoth Obado and his two co-accused criminally liable for the 2018 murder of university student Sharon Otieno.
In detailed final submissions, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichuhi outlined what she described as an elaborate, coordinated criminal enterprise engineered to eliminate the deceased and suppress a key witness to avert political damage and public scandal.
“The evidence before this court reveals a synchronized operation,” Gichuhi submitted. “The accused acted in concert, bound by a common design to silence Sharon Otieno and neutralize witness (XYZ) to shield Governor Obado from political fallout, reputational ruin and embarrassment.”
The prosecution argued that co-accused Michael Juma Oyamo and Casper Ojwang Obiero functioned as trusted operatives in the execution of the plan. Evidence placed them at Graca Hotel on the night of September 3, 2018, when Sharon and the witness were forcibly abducted. The vehicle allegedly used in the operation — registration number KCL 418K — is registered to Obiero’s wife and was driven by a long-time associate, according to the State.
Gichuhi walked the court through what she termed an unbroken chain of incriminating material: eyewitness testimony, cyber forensic analysis, call data records, and investigative findings that, in the State’s view, converge irresistibly on the accused.
“Each strand of evidence, examined individually and collectively, forms a seamless narrative,” she argued. “This was not a random act of violence. It was calculated, deliberate and jointly executed.”
The prosecution dismissed the defence case as disjointed and reactionary, contending that it consists of afterthoughts crafted to manufacture doubt where none exists. The State maintained that the evidentiary threshold has been met beyond reasonable doubt.
The DPP has formally charged Obado, Oyamo and Obiero with murder, and the court has already ruled that the trio have a case to answer.
The matter will be mentioned on March 18, 2026, when the court is expected to set a date for judgment.
