How witness in Sharon case escaped death

A protected witness in the murder trial against Migori Governor Okoth Obado escaped death narrowly after being handed over to the alleged killers, a court has heard.

The witness’ harrowing account was narrated to court through police constable Willy Okoti, who was the first person to get information on a fateful night and painted a picture of the last moments of the witness and the late Sharon Otieno before she was found dead in a forest.

Okoti’s testimony suggested that had the witness not jumped out of the moving vehicle, he would not have escaped the jaws of death after their abductors threatened to kill him for investigating claims that Obado had impregnated Sharon.

“He was visibly shaken, trembling, and fearing for his life when he came to the police post to report the incident. His trousers were torn and he was bleeding on the hands and knees,” said Okoti.

The police officer, currently attached to Mawego Police Station in Homa Bay, was the sixth witness in the trial of Obado, his personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County clerk Caspal Obiero over the murder of Sharon and her seven-month unborn baby.

At the time of her death on September 3, 2018, Sharon was a student at Rongo University and dating Obado, with DNA results showing that the governor was the biological father of the unborn child.

According to Okoti, the witness told him that it all started when he, while in the company of Sharon, met with the governor’s personal assistant at Graca Hotel in Rongo town within Migori County.

The witness had been taken to Kadel Police Post by a Good Samaritan who found him on the road after jumping from the moving car.

“He told me he was in Rongo at a certain hotel together with the lady called Sharon Otieno. While at the hotel, a personal assistant to the Migori Governor went to where they were sitting and asked them to enter another vehicle so that they could go to a different hotel,” said Okoti.

Unknown to the witness and Sharon, that was the moment they were being handed over to their abductors and suspected killers by the governor’s PA, the court was told.

The two entered the waiting vehicle while in the company of Obado’s PA but after about 300 metres, the vehicle stopped and the PA alighted but called two other people who were standing beside the road to board.

As soon as the two new strangers entered the vehicle, it sped towards Homa Bay Town leaving the governor’s personal assistant at the point he alighted.

“While in the vehicle, the witness told me that he was threatened by the men that he was going to be killed for investigating allegations that the Migori governor had impregnated Sharon,” said Okoti.

When they reached the stretch of road between Homa Bay Town and Kendu Bay town, the witness jumped out of the moving vehicle and escaped.

It was then that he requested the Good Samaritan, identified as Kennedy Kasera, to take him to the police post to report the matter.

Okoti said since the witness was in pain and wanted to be taken to hospital, he called the Kendu Bay police boss who arrived at the station after a few minutes.

He asaid the witness could not tell what happened to Sharon after his daring escape and that he did not investigate the incident further since he was not the investigating officer. Okoti said he ecame aware of Sharon’s death two days later.

pogemba@standardmedia.co.ke