A day after the High Court sitting in Nairobi delivered a landmark ruling convicting former Migori Governor Okoth Obado of the 2018 murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno, defense advocate Cliff Ombeta has publicly fired back.

The prominent criminal lawyer claims his client is innocent and argues the court relied on guesswork rather than concrete evidence.

High Court Judge Cecilia Githua ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Obado, alongside his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and county clerk Caspal Obiero, acted with common intention.

While acknowledging Obado was not physically present at the scene of the crime, Justice Githua held that the former governor financed, facilitated, and orchestrated the killing.

The court noted that Obado had a compelling motive: eliminating Sharon, who was pregnant with his child, to prevent public scandal that could destroy his reputation.

Ombeta, however, took to social media to push back against the court’s reasoning, insisting that the legal standard for circumstantial evidence was not met.

“Obado did not commit that offence. I don’t know about the others,” Ombeta stated adding that, “Even the circumstantial evidence (non-existent) could not put him in any scene or act.”

The defense attorney questioned the judge’s findings regarding motive, arguing that the court substituted solid evidence with speculation.

“The court imagined he was afraid of publicity and embarrassment and therefore…” Ombeta argued, while raising alternative possibilities that he claims the prosecution failed to investigate.

“Was it possible another family did it?”

Following the guilty verdict, the court immediately revoked bail for all three men, ordering them remanded in custody until sentencing.

Ombeta’s public rebuttal signals that the defense team is already laying the groundwork to contest the verdict in the Court of Appeal.