Michael Oyamo, a former personal aide to ex-Migori Governor Okoth Obado, has been ordered to take the witness stand before presenting his defense witnesses in the ongoing murder trial of university student Sharon Otieno.
This follows a ruling by High Court Judge Cecilia Githua, who dismissed an application filed by Oyamo seeking to have his witnesses testify first. Oyamo, through his lawyer, had argued that his defense strategy would be better served if his witnesses took the stand before him. However, Judge Githua ruled that it is a matter of legal procedure that an accused person must first offer their own testimony before introducing witnesses in their defense.
“I agree with the prosecution that it is a matter of law that the accused must begin with his own evidence,” stated Justice Githua. “He must lay the foundation for his case, and if he chooses, he may call his witnesses afterward to support his defense.”
Oyamo is one of the key suspects in the gruesome 2018 murder of Sharon Otieno, a second-year student at Rongo University, who was abducted and later found murdered in Homa Bay County. Her death, which sparked national outrage, was linked to her relationship with Governor Obado.
The court had earlier ruled that Oyamo has a case to answer, prompting the defense phase of the trial. Oyamo’s application to reverse the order of testimony was seen as a strategy to possibly shield himself from tough cross-examination or to set the tone for his own narrative through other testimonies.
In a separate development during the proceedings, Oyamo received crucial documents from Safaricom regarding mobile phone call data. His legal team argued that this data could play a significant role in proving his innocence, although the specific contents and relevance of the records remain undisclosed.
The trial continues to attract public interest, with the country watching closely for justice in one of Kenya’s most high-profile murder cases in recent years. The prosecution maintains that Oyamo played a central role in orchestrating the abduction and killing of Sharon, a charge he denies.
