People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has called for quicker investigations, prosecutions and court hearings in femicide cases, saying victims and their families should not have to wait years for justice as she reflected on the conviction of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his two co-accused in the murder of Sharon Otieno.
In a statement shared on her X account on Thursday, Karua said the conclusion of Sharon Otieno's murder trial highlighted the need for Kenya's criminal justice agencies to handle cases involving violence against women with greater urgency. While acknowledging the efforts made by prosecutors, she maintained that justice loses its meaning when it takes too long to be delivered.
"It has taken 7 years and 10 months, 42 prosecution witnesses, and 81 exhibits presented by the ODPP for justice for Sharon Otieno to finally arrive. Today, as Sharon's family sat in court to hear the verdict, we were reminded of the immense cost of justice delayed."
Karua's remarks came a day after Justice Cecilia Githua of the Milimani High Court in Nairobi found Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former Migori County Clerk Caspal Obiero guilty of murdering Sharon Otieno after ruling that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
During the trial, the court heard testimony from 42 prosecution witnesses and reviewed 81 exhibits before reaching its verdict.
The case stems from events on September 3 and 4, 2018, when Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student who was about seven months pregnant, was abducted together with journalist Barrack Oduor.
Oduor managed to escape after jumping from the moving vehicle, while Sharon's body was later found in a thicket near Kodera Forest in Homa Bay County. The prosecution built its case using circumstantial, forensic and digital evidence, which the court found established the sequence of events linking the three accused to the killing.
Karua said the prosecution deserved credit for pursuing the matter to its conclusion but stressed that no family should have to wait almost a decade for justice.
"While we commend the prosecution, justice must not take nearly a decade. Across Kenya, from young girls to grandmothers, women continue to be lost to a horrific wave of femicide."
She called on the police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary to apply the same level of commitment and urgency to every case involving the killing of women, whether or not it receives national attention.
"Our police, ODPP, and courts must bring the same rigor, urgency, and commitment to every case, not only those that attract national attention. We must all do our part to end the killing of women."
Karua said the outcome of Sharon Otieno's case should not only be seen as a conviction but also as a reminder that timely justice is essential for victims' families and for maintaining public trust in the country's criminal justice system.