Sharon murder: Obado aide disputes calls data
By Alphonce Mungahu Kenya, December 7, 2023
Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado’s personal assistant Michael Oyamo has disputed call data records from Airtel being used by the prosecution to prove his alleged involvement in the murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno.
Oyamo is being tried over Sharon and her unborn baby’s murder that took place on September 3, 2018 in Homa Bay. He has been charged alongside Obado and Homa Bay clerk Caspal Obiero.
Through advocate Ogada Meso, Oyamo said call data records from Airtel can’t be relied on as they were not a true reflection of what earlier witnesses in the case said.
The records were presented in court by Vincent Mabu who identified himself as the liaison officer and investigations manager for Airtel.
He told trial Judge Cecilia Githua on September 10, 2018, he received a letter from the DCI requesting for the identity of three numbers (0735689713, 0739473321 and 0734333587).
He was also requested to share details of incoming and outgoing calls for the three numbers and details of their physical location.
One of the numbers that peaked the interest of the defence was 0739473321. From the Airtel records, the account holder of the number is registered as Vincent Obonyo, registered on August 27, 2018.
An earlier witness who was under protection said the number called him on August 29, 2018 at 1530hrs. The person who called introduced himself as Michael Oyamo.
Oyamo allegedly told him if he wanted to reach him, he should do so on that line. But this information was not captured in the Airtel call records.
The witness from Airtel was not able to trace this particular call log. It is for that reason the advocate said the records could not be relied on.
“If the protected witness is a truthful witness, that information must be in the Airtel data. Either the system you are using or the witness is a liar,” said Ogada.
But in the same records, the number that Oyamo allegedly used to call the protected witness was in communication with a number registered in Sharon’s name on August 28, 2018.
The communication took place between 1630hrs and 1823hrs. And on September 3, 2018 at 1918hrs (the day Sharon is said to have been murdered), there was a voice call coming from her line made to that number registered under Vincent that Oyamo was allegedly using.