The murder trial of Migori County Governor Zachary Okoth Obado began on July 13, 2021.

Obado and his co-accused Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero are on trial for the murder of Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby in September 2018.

The prosecution promised to prove their case against the accused by use of witness accounts and bits of evidence collected. 

State Attorney Catherine Mwaniki said the evidence will prove that the governor, his co-accused and other individuals who were not before the court were responsible for murdering Sharon.

In her opening statement, Mwaniki told the court that the prosecution will demonstrate how the accused created and facilitated the opportunity to commit the crime.

“We will demonstrate how they created the opportunity facilitated the crime, orchestrated the cover-up of the murder of Otieno and the 28 weeks unborn baby and further how they willfully engaged in action to obstruct justice,” said Mwaniki.

Mwaniki further stated that Obado benefited from the deaths of Sharon and the unborn child because he was the biological father of the baby.

Government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, the first witness, gave a description of the postmortem from Rachuonyo Hospital conducted on September 8, 2018.

According to the court documents, the cause of Sharon’s death was attributed to severe bleeding caused by penetrating force trauma while the baby died because of sharp abdominal trauma.

The court heard that there possibly was sexual contact between Sharon and her assailants and that was the reason for the doctor to get vaginal samples and DNA from the deceased body.

The prosecution argued that the DNA would establish sexual contact between Sharon and the people to have been with her last.