Court hears Sharon Otieno was threatened over relationship with Obado

Sharon Otieno received threatening text messages from an unknown woman days before her murder over an alleged affair with former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, the High Court in Milimani heard on Friday.

Testifying for the third day, Obado’s former personal assistant Michael Oyamo told Judge Cecilia Githua that Sharon had received a series of hostile messages, which were retrieved from her tablet by a DCI officer.

The threatening messages came from an unidentified number and appeared to be sent by a woman warning her to end the alleged relationship with Obado.

One of the messages read, "Please leave my husband alone, I can do you for worst (sic). You will not walk away with it, idiot...gold digger. I will fight you to the bitter end."

Another message said, "Please, I’m requesting you to leave my husband alone. The unbelievable will be the order of the day."

A third stated, "You must pay this dearly. I have everything about you." Sharon replied, "I don’t remember going out with anyone’s husband."

Oyamo confirmed the threats were real but said he could not identify the sender.

In his testimony, Oyamo distanced himself from Sharon’s killing and denied ever being in a romantic relationship with her.

"Around July 2018, Sharon called me, claiming she was pregnant and suspected I was the father," he told the court, referencing a statement he had given to the police. "I had no sexual relations with her," he added.

He explained that he gave a blood sample for DNA testing to confirm the child’s paternity.

The results, which were presented in court, showed he was not the father.

Oyamo said he first heard about Sharon in July 2018 through rumors and later through a Member of County Assembly and a journalist who were trying to arrange a meeting with Governor Obado over the alleged affair.

He also gave details of his meeting with Sharon on the evening she was murdered, denying claims by the prosecution that he handed her over to the killers.

The prosecution says Oyamo lured the 26-year-old Rongo University student to her death after meeting her at Gracias Hotel in Rongo.

Oyamo said that on September 3, 2018, he met Sharon and a journalist identified as XYZ at the hotel, where they were drinking Penasol wine.

"I found Sharon and XYZ seated with two glasses on the table," he said, adding that he asked XYZ why he allowed a pregnant woman to drink alcohol.

The purpose of the meeting, according to Oyamo, was to discuss Sharon’s frustrations about lack of financial support and her disputes with XYZ and the late MCA Lawrence Mula, who allegedly split the money Obado had given for her upkeep.

He told the court that on August 15, 2018, he had given Mula Sh100,000 on Obado’s instructions, meant for Sharon, but that he only agreed to give her half the amount at the time.

Oyamo denied that he lured Sharon and XYZ into the car used in their abduction or that he sat in the front seat during the journey.

He insisted that after leaving the hotel, he went straight to Obado’s home in Rapogi and arrived before 10 pm.

He also denied claims that the murder was planned at the home of Olivia Oloo, wife of co-accused Caspal Obiero, on the morning of the same day.

"I was in Migori preparing for an official trip to Rwanda scheduled for September 4," he said.

Oyamo said he did not know Jackson Gombe, a taxi driver alleged to have played a role in the murder.

He also addressed an earlier trip to Nairobi on August 24, 2018, when he sent Sh22,500 to help Sharon and XYZ travel for a planned meeting with Obado to discuss her welfare.

He told the court the meeting never happened after Sharon reportedly felt unwell and they left JKIA for Capital Centre.

This, he said, caused tension with the governor.

The prosecution will cross-examine Oyamo on June 11.