The High Court has found that former Migori Governor Okoth Obado had a clear motive to eliminate university student Sharon Otieno in an effort to protect his reputation and conceal their relationship.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Cecilia Githua dismissed Obado’s defence that he had accepted Sharon’s pregnancy and was genuinely supporting her financially, terming the claim insincere and unsupported by the evidence presented before the court.

The judge ruled that Obado feared the public exposure of their affair and orchestrated a plan to silence Sharon before the relationship became public.

“I am persuaded to agree that… to eradicate the imminent threat of having his name or reputation dragged through the mud by publication in the mainstream media of this relationship with Sharon, the first accused instigated a scheme to eliminate Sharon,” Justice Githua ruled.

According to the court, Obado allegedly enlisted the help of his trusted aides, including his former Personal Assistant Michael Oyamo, to execute the plan, using his influence as the Governor of Migori County.

Justice Githua further found that evidence showed Obado pressured Sharon to terminate her pregnancy and allegedly gave her KSh30,000 for the abortion. However, Sharon reportedly declined after receiving advice from her mother.

The judge noted that if Obado had genuinely cared for Sharon and her unborn child, he would not have distanced himself from her or ignored her repeated phone calls during the pregnancy.

The court also agreed with the prosecution that the financial support Obado sent Sharon was not motivated by goodwill but was intended to keep her quiet, delay the disclosure of their relationship, and prevent the affair from becoming public.

“It cannot be a mere coincidence that the first accused developed renewed interest in the deceased when she threatened to publicise their affair,” Justice Githua observed.

The judge concluded that Obado sought to contain the relationship and eliminate the threat it posed to his public image, finding that he recruited his co-accused—Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero, both county government employees at the time—to carry out the alleged plot.

“There is no doubt that the first accused would have been the ultimate beneficiary of such a plot,” Justice Githua ruled.

The High Court is continuing to deliver its judgment in the high-profile murder case against Obado and his two co-accused, Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero, bringing closer the conclusion of a trial that has attracted national attention for more than seven years.