Court frees Migori Governor Okoth Obado

Migori Governor Okoth Obado during the court proceeding yesterday. He has been released on bond. [George Njunge, Standard]

Beleaguered Migori Governor Okoth Obado will earn his freedom at a cash bail of Sh200,000 or a bond of Sh500,000.

This is after Kibera Chief Magistrate Joyce Gandani Friday rejected prosecutors’ request to detain him for 15 days to conclude investigations to confirm that three firearms recovered in his home had been used to commit crimes.

Chief Magistrate ruled that Mr Obado was not a flight risk and was unlikely to interfere with known witnesses.

“The officers who are said to have recovered the weapons are from the EACC and there is very remote possibility that Obado will be able to influence these officers,” she ruled.

She however, warned the governor that should he or his agents interfere with any witnesses, the bond will be cancelled.

Hitherto, Mr Obado was ordered to report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices every fortnight.

Mr Obado was arrested Tuesday and has spent two nights at Gigiri Police Station, three weeks after spending over a month in prison in connection with the murder of university student Sharon Otieno.

EACC had raided his three homes to investigate that he used proxies, among them his relatives, to siphon Sh2 billion from the coffers of his county government.