A routine journalism assignment to verify claims made by university student Sharon Otieno against former Migori Governor Okoth Obado took an unexpected and dangerous turn, leaving journalist Barrack Oduor fighting for his life and later becoming one of the prosecution’s key witnesses in one of Kenya’s most closely watched murder trials.
In her judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Cecilia Githua revisited Oduor’s testimony, given as Protected Witness 9 (PW9), describing how his efforts to confirm Sharon’s claims before publishing her story placed him at the centre of events that unfolded shortly before her murder.
The judge said Oduor first met Sharon on July 25, 2018, in Homa Bay after Lawrence Obonyo Mula introduced them. Sharon wanted her story carried by mainstream media, hoping that public attention would force the first accused to acknowledge both her and the child she was expecting.
Justice Githua recounted that Sharon “narrated to him her personal details and confided that she was in an intimate relationship with the first accused(Former Migori governor, Okoth Obado), who had abandoned her after impregnating her, and that at the time she was seven months pregnant and she was facing financial hardships.”
Before publishing the allegations, the court heard that Oduor sought to verify Sharon’s claims. He photographed her, kept screenshots of conversations she shared with him and listened to audio recordings that she said involved the first accused.
According to Justice Githua, Sharon played two recordings for the journalist. In one, “the first accused was pleading with Sharon to stop posting her images on social media, especially Facebook, particularly photos of hotels they had frequented.” In the second, “he was beseeching her to procure an abortion, stating that time was actually running out.”
Rather than publish the story immediately, Oduor sought a response from the first accused, following standard journalistic practice.
The judge said the journalist reached out through a mutual friend before accepting an invitation to Rapogi, where he met the first accused in the company of Lawrence Mula.
“The first accused admitted knowledge of Sharon’s pregnancy, but complained that her expectations were unrealistic, as she was demanding a good car, a house in Nairobi, and a good job,” the judge said. Oduor informed him that he had instructions to publish Sharon’s account if her concerns were not addressed.
The court heard that discussions over Sharon’s welfare continued after the meeting, with Michael Oyamo, the governor’s personal assistant, becoming involved in the negotiations.
Justice Githua said arrangements were later made for Sharon, Oduor and Mula to travel to Nairobi on August 24, 2018, with transport facilitated for the meeting. However, the expected discussions did not take place.
The events took a darker turn on September 3, 2018, when Oduor and Sharon responded to another meeting request.
According to the judgment, the pair boarded a vehicle with Oyamo before two unidentified men joined them. They were then ordered to hand over their mobile phones.
“The man sitting next to him became violent and started strangling him, asking him why he was following the story about the governor,” Justice Githua said.
Oduor told the court that he managed to escape by forcing open the vehicle’s door and jumping out while it was still moving.
After escaping, he ran to the home of Kennedy Onyango Kasera, who found him injured, frightened and hiding beneath a bed. Kasera later accompanied him to Kadel Police Post, where police officers recorded that he had torn clothes, injuries on his hands and knees and appeared deeply shaken.
Justice Githua said Oduor’s testimony provided the court with a detailed account of how a journalist carrying out his duty to verify a sensitive story became caught up in the chain of events surrounding Sharon Otieno’s final hours. His evidence, the judge found, helped establish the sequence of events leading up to the killing that became one of Kenya’s most high-profile murder cases