The rise and fall of Obado Sirkal

Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado at Milimani High Court for his judgment over the alleged murder of his former lover Sharon Otieno. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]

He was larger than life. A political behemoth who was daring, wealthy, unafraid, and took opponents head-on, and was building himself as a force to reckon with in Nyanza politics.

At the peak of his political career, convicted murderer Okoth Obado was not just your ordinary county chief. He was softly loud, commanded significant support in Migori, and was one of the few and rare political titans to successfully stand up against the late ODM leader Raila Odinga’s political juggernaut, ODM.

Here, he was called Obado Sirkal, which loosely translates to Obado the government. His army of supporters equated him to the government due to the strong influence he had.

To them, he was the political local kingpin in Migori after the late Raila. He was their son. They had watched him grow from a secondary school teacher to a successful sugarcane farmer before making his entry into politics by clinching the governorship in 2013.

Few dared to challenge him in the political arena, and many MCAs who served during his tenure of two terms cowered at his political positions, while carefully juggling between him and the ODM party. This perhaps explains the reason an MCA burst into wails last week, moments after the judge confirmed that he was guilty of the murder of university student Sharon Otieno.

But power corrupts. Beyond his misdemeanour, Obado and members of his family were drunk with power. So drunk with power were Obado and the members of his family that when one of his daughters bizarrely flashed her middle finger at journalists in Kisii when some members of the family were nabbed by anti-graft detectives in 2018 over an alleged graft, very few people were surprised. Back at home, their family was the benchmark of success and power.

They were wealthy, had strong grassroots support and were respected members of their local church in Uriri. But all that glitters is not gold. Claims of corruption and a murder case that would soon bury Obado’s political career were hovering above.

His story is a spectacular example of grass to grace and then grass again. Today, Obado’s hope remains on an appeal his close circles claim he will lodge to challenge his conviction, but the damage has been devastating.

Interviews with several residents of Migori recounted the life of the former county chief who lived large, enjoyed the finer things that the rest of Kenyans only dream of, and the affluence that came with the position he held. He was the pinnacle of success-Obado Sirkal.

In church, he was a dedicated servant and was among the ardent choir members of Rapogi Lwanda SDA Church. He had ticked all the boxes: a sugarcane farmer whose dedication to fighting for the rights of farmers as a unionist catapulted his steady rise into political stardom.

“He was a good leader and cared for the people despite the fact that he was also enjoying what he describes as his fruits of hard work by displaying wealth. His conviction is a major blow to the community,” opines Kennedy Okelo, a resident.

In 2013, Obado was among the few surprise packages after successfully trouncing an ODM candidate to win the Migori Governorship at a time when ODM was at its peak in Nyanza. At the time, winning an ODM ticket was almost a guarantee of winning elections.

However, in a surprise, Obado won using a little-known People’s Democratic Party. He would later decamp to ODM and used its ticket to defend his seat in 2017.

But within ODM, few of Raila’s close allies were comfortable with Obado. They openly decampaigned him as he fought back with unconventional political tactics.

As his freedom flees away, Obado is also witnessing a crumbling empire as state agencies target wealth that was reportedly obtained in corrupt dealings.

Last year, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) auctioned some of his properties. The properties included a three-bedroom Riara apartment, three residential units within Greenspan Estate valued between Sh6.7 million and Sh11 million each, and a Loresho Ridge townhouse.

Dan Ouma, a political analyst, opines that Obado’s conviction in Sharon’s murder marks the end of a turbulent political and public life that has been characterised by accusations of graft, violence, controversy and religiosity when need arose.

"The Obado orphans must now calculate their next political moves," Ouma says. He believes his conviction will have an impact in Migori’s political landscape.

Ouma believes the most relieved are those eyeing the Migori Senatorial Seat. He is among the former governors who had shown interest in making a comeback in politics by contesting Senate seats.

Migori, Obado had started a strong anti-ODM rhetoric as he began building momentum on his political interest to unseat Senator Eddy Oketch.

"Obado's conviction means he won't be around to contest. Remember, Obado was a serious grassroots mobiliser and a master of political rhetoric," he says.

In the region, he was also leading President William Ruto’s grassroots mobilisation for UDA as he sought political refuge after his stint as a two-term governor.