"We're feeling the pain": Sharon Otieno's family speaks after Obado's conviction

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Sharon Otieno's mother Melida Auma broke down in tears after the court delivered its verdict on her daughter's 2018 murder

- The family revealed eight years of court trips to Nairobi drained them financially, leaving no room for development at home

- Sharon's three children, now aged 8, 10, and 11, continue to grow up without their mother in Magare Village, Homa Bay county

Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year of experience in print and more than five years in digital media.

Homa Bay: Sharon Otieno's family has broken its silence at their home in Magare Village days after a court found former Migori governor Okoth Obado, alongside co-accused Caspar Obiero and Michael Oyamo, guilty of her murder.

They spoke at their rural home on Saturday, July 25, where grief and relief sat side by side as relatives and community members joined in prayer to mark the end of a legal battle that had stretched across eight years.

Melida Auma speaks on years of anguish

Sharon's mother, Melida Auma, wept openly as she described the ordeal of attending every court session since her daughter's body was discovered in a thicket near Kodera Forest on September 3, 2018.

Her father, Douglas Otieno, said he was the first person to view Sharon's remains and that the memory of the stab wounds he saw that day has never left him.

"It has been hectic for me because I lost my most beloved daughter. I was the first person to check on the body of my daughter. And all the stab wounds that I saw are still fresh in my mind," she said.

Despite the conviction, Melida said the family has continued to face harassment online. "If you go to social media, there is a lot of bullying. They claim I did not raise up my daughter well," she said.

The mother added that the family has not felt safe even with the verdict secured, saying every development in the case brought its own form of torment. "Whenever a case is going on, the family is tortured mentally," Melida echoed.

Three grandchildren left behind

The repeated journeys to Nairobi for court proceedings also placed a heavy financial strain on the household.

"There is not any time we can do any development in this home. The only development is to go to court, and even upbringing these children has never been easy," Melida admitted.

Sharon was 26 years old and pregnant when she was killed. She left behind three children, now being raised by their grandparents in Homa Bay county.

Melida said the eldest is 11 years old and in Grade 6, the second is 10 years old and in Grade 4, and the youngest is eight years old and in Grade 3.

"I'm happy that I'm still alive and keep living with my grandchildren," Otieno said.

The court established that Obado financed the killing, Oyamo played a central role in its execution, and Obiero was involved in concealing the offence, with the judge finding that their collective conduct demonstrated a common intention and constituted malice aforethought.

"Whether somebody is convicted or not, we are feeling the pain," Melida said.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.