Two “suspects” arrested, grilled in probe into abduction and murder of Sharon

Slain Rongo University student Sharon Otieno. [Photo: Courtesy]

 Police have arrested two more suspects in the probe into the killing of a pregnant university student in Homa Bay County.

The suspects were arrested in Kayole by a team of detectives who had been trailing them for days. They were taken in for grilling at the DCI headquarters. After hours of grilling, they were released and ordered to go back on Monday.

It is however not clear if the suspects are part of the group that participated in the macabre incident.

But a person aware of the developments said the two had communicated with some of the suspects in custody and linked to the incident.

"We are counter checking some issues here and there before we know the way forward," said an officer who asked not to be named.

The vehicle that the suspects were using in ferrying Sharon Otieno is also missing. An officer aware of the probe said yesterday they hoped the suspects would cooperate to enable them crack the case and join the missing dots.

The only prime suspect that police are holding is Migori Governor Okoth Obado’s aide Michael Oyamo who has been mentioned by witnesses in the murder and abduction.

A former Kanyidoto MCA in Homa-Bay Lawrence Mula is also being held over the incident. A Nairobi court allowed police to hold Oyamo for 14 days ahead of planned arraignment over murder.

A combined team of detectives is handling the case and are under pressure to crack it.

The killers of Sharon who tortured her before mercilessly killing her with her seven months old baby are believed to have been procured from Kayole.

Police have been camping in Kayole in the past days since the incident happened on September 3 looking for clues.

Oyamo grew up in Kayole. He is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan.

He quit Kenya Defence Forces before he moved to Afghanistan and later to South Sudan for greener pastures.

Oyamo came back and ventured into transport business, acquiring one bus that plied Nairobi- Migori route. He then served as a security manager at a hotel in Riverside area until 2016 when he joined Obado as a personal assistant.

Sharon and Nation journalist Barack Oduor were kidnapped moments after being lured out of Graca Hotel in Rongo around 7.35pm by Oyamo. 

 Oduor said he escaped death by a whisker after he jumped out of the kidnappers' speeding car at Nyangweso market on Homa Bay-Kisumu road. 

He was meeting Oyamo to discuss a case in which Sharon had said Obado had impregnated her and refused to take responsibility.

Obado has denied claims he planned the murder.

It was then they were abducted and bundled into a car. He jumped off the speeding car and ran into homes as the abductors pursued him.