Sentencing of Sharon's killers will test if justice protects the powerless

 Casper Obiero, Michael Oyamo and Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado at the Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi, on August 2, 2023. [File, Standard]

Eight years, 42 witnesses, and a mountain of evidence culminated in the conviction of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, Michael Oyamo, and Caspal Obiero for the killing of Sharon Otieno. Their upcoming sentencing has revived questions about justice for Sharon and her unborn child, the only people who will not be in court on 16 September.

The 2018 abduction, torture and murder of Sharon Otieno, a 26-year-old Rongo University student and mother of three who was 28 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, shocked the nation. For some, including Usikimye Executive Director Njeri Migwi, it sparked a lifelong commitment to protecting women.