Slain Rongo University Student Sharon Otieno’s body finally arrived at her ancestral home but not in the manner her family wanted it to. Sharon returned home in a brown coffin that is estimated to be worth Kshs. 50,000 according to the funeral committee.
Sharon’s body arrived at their Magare home at 4pm. Friends, relatives and other mourners had travelled for over 50 kilometres to Med25 International-Kenya Hospital Mortuary in Mbita constituency to pick the body.
The body was transferred from Rachuonyo Level Four Hospital in Oyugis over security concerns about a month ago. This is because the family had fears that the people that murdered her will go after her dead corpse so as to conceal crucial evidence that were required for the investigations.
Investigating officers later managed to take all the required test samples from Sharon and her unborn baby. It is these collected samples that were used to for instance determine that Governor Obado was the biological father of Sharon’s unborn baby.
Sharon Otieno will finally be laid to rest today at her grandfather’s home next to her baby.
It has been about one and a half months since the 26-year-old Sharon Otieno was abducted and her lifeless body found in a thicket in Oyugis.
At their home, Sharon’s mother, Melida Auma fainted after being overwhelmed by emotion as the body arrived at their homestead yesterday.
Not even the ones who had braced themselves to comfort her managed to catch her in time. She jumped several times, yelling, her body shaking in sorrow before collapsing.
Mr Douglas Otieno, Ms Otieno’s father, was composed and walked around his compound quietly. He preferred to be left alone and only shook his head when the Nation team approached him.
“This is heavy for us. We will bury our daughter, but nothing will make us forget this pain. Every time I view her body and see what her killers did, it angers me. They were merciless,” he said at the mortuary.
After being reluctant to bury Sharon for a long period of time, his family says that the belief that they will soon get justice for their slain daughter informed their decision to finally lay her to rest today.
“We have seen suspects connected to her murder arraigned in court. We are happy with the investigations so far and believe her killers will pay for their crimes,” he said.
Migori Governor, Okoth Obado and his two aides, Michael Oyamo and Casper obiero are still in police custody in connection to the gruesome murder of the university student. The trio denied the charges in front of Justice Jessy Lessit and are poised to return to court on October 24 for their bail hearing.