Sharon Otieno’s Mother Pleads With Court To Spare Obado, Says He Can Help Raise Her Children

By Fredrick Kioko,

The mother of the late Sharon Otieno, Melida Auma, has made an emotional appeal to the High Court to show leniency to former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, saying the family has chosen to forgive him and would rather see him take responsibility for Sharon’s three surviving children.

Speaking at the Milimani Law Courts during Obado’s sentencing proceedings, Auma urged the court not to impose the maximum possible punishment on the former governor, appealing instead for a non-custodial sentence.

“We forgive Governor Obado. Don’t crucify him. Give him a non-custodial sentence. We want him to help Sharon’s three children,” she said.

Auma told the court that the family’s priority is now the welfare and future of Sharon’s children, who are aged 12, 10 and 8. She said the family would support a non-custodial sentence if Obado commits to taking full financial responsibility for the children and helping provide for their upbringing.

The emotional plea comes nearly eight years after Sharon Otieno, a 26-year-old Rongo University student, was abducted and later found murdered in September 2018.

Obado was convicted alongside his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero in connection with Sharon’s murder. The High Court has since moved to the sentencing stage, where the court is considering mitigation, victim-impact statements and other circumstances before determining the appropriate punishment.

For Sharon’s mother, however, the sentencing proceedings have also become an opportunity to focus on the three children left behind following her daughter’s death.

Auma said the family had opted for forgiveness and was seeking a resolution that would secure the children’s future rather than result in what she considers another loss to the family.

The family’s position is that Obado, if spared a custodial sentence, could play a role in supporting the children financially and ensuring they receive the care and opportunities they need as they grow.

The plea now places the children’s welfare at the centre of the family’s appeal as the court weighs the circumstances of the case and the appropriate sentence for Obado and his co-convicts.

The court will ultimately determine the sentence based on the law, the evidence and the submissions presented during the sentencing process.