Former Migori Governor Zachary Okoth Obado and his co-accused, Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero, will remain in custody after the High Court on Thursday cancelled their bond terms following their conviction for the 2018 murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno.
In directions issued shortly after delivering the judgment at the Milimani High Court, Justice Cecilia Githua ordered that the three be remanded pending sentencing and directed the Probation Department to prepare and file pre-sentence reports within 21 days.
The judge also ordered that a victim assessment report be prepared and filed within the same period. She directed that the report be shared with all parties before the sentencing hearing.
“The accused persons shall be remanded in custody as their bonds have been cancelled,” Justice Githua ruled after delivering the guilty verdict.
Justice Githua declined to immediately set a date for sentencing, saying the court must first confirm that all the required reports have been filed before proceeding.
“I was thinking that we can take a date for the mention first, so that we confirm that the documents are filed, so that we can now take a date for the sentencing hearing,” she said.
The judge explained that fixing a sentencing date before receiving the reports could lead to unnecessary delays if the documents were not ready in time.
Following consultations with lawyers representing the parties, the court scheduled a virtual mention for August 18 at 11 a.m. to confirm compliance with its directions before a sentencing hearing date is fixed.
Justice Githua also formally informed Obado, Oyamo and Obiero that they have a right to appeal the conviction before the Court of Appeal.