Safaricom witness says Obado was in Nairobi during Sharon's murder

Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado at a Milimani court on December 4, 2023. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

A witness Wednesday testified that former Migori Governor Okoth Obado was not present when Sharon Otieno and her unborn child were killed on the night of September 3, 2018 in Homa Bay County.

Quinto Odek Etyang, a Safaricom employee, told Justice Cecilia Githua that tracking data from Obado's mobile phone showed he was in Nairobi from September 2 to September 5.

Obado, his personal aide Michael Oyamo, and former county clerk Caspal Obiero have been charged with the murder of Sharon and her unborn child.

Results of a DNA test conducted on the foetus showed that Obado was the father.

Etyang told Justice Githua that on September 2, 2021, he received a letter from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations requiring Safaricom to provide call data records of the accused persons, Sharon, and witnesses under protection.

The period under investigation was between August 1, 2018, to September 6, 2018.

Etyang added that the detectives also wanted information on the suspects' location history, contacts of people they had talked to, and M-Pesa account statements.

"The data from Safaricom was to enable the DCI officers to piece together the movement of the people and establish whether they were involved in the murder," Etyang explained.

The witness revealed that Sharon's number had previously belonged to a different subscriber. But he could not tell when Sharon had started using the line.

During cross-examination by Senior Counsel Kioko Kilukumi, Etyang said that at 1650hrs on September 2, Obado's mobile phone was traced to Suswa.

"At 1732hrs, Obado was captured by cell tower at Mai Mahiu," Etyang said, adding that the former governor's phone was at Sigona at 1803hrs and located in Lavington at 1827hrs.

The witness also provided data records of Jack Gombe, a taxi driver who allegedly ferried Sharon to her death.

He said Gombe's mobile phone was switched on from 1800hrs to 1130hrs on September 3. The driver had earlier told the court that he had left the phone charging in Migori town.

"Jack Gombe's mobile phone was constantly on the move and was being picked by different base transceiver stations. The subscriber was moving within Migori and was at no time captured as being stationary from the data available,” Etyang disclosed.

The parties will pick the next hearing dates tomorrow virtually.