Former Migori Governor Zachariah Okoth Obado spent the first night in prison without food.
When Obado, his former aide Michael Oyamo and former county clerk Casper Obiero were convicted over the cruel, heinous and most brutal murder of Rongo University student Sharon Beryl Otieno, they arrived late at the Industrial Area prison. Supper had been served.
The trio had not been counted in the day's supper meals which is usually served at 3:30pm.
“Obado had eaten fruits and sipped soda at the Milimani Law Courts before boarding the prison van to Industrial Area Prison Remand and Rehabilitation Centre,” a warder told Justice Gauge on Friday (July 24, 2026).
Obado, Oyamo, and Obiero arrived at the Industrial prison shortly after 6pm and supper had been served.
They were booked into the high security remand home after the committal warrants were handed over to the officer in-charge.
Obado’s defense lawyers joined him at the remand home.
“His lawyers stayed with him up to 6:30pm when they were asked to leave to allow other remand procedures to be undertaken,” the warder who declined to have his name disclosed for avoidance of repercussions from his seniors told Justice Gauge.
The warder disclosed Obado, Oyamo, and Obiero were held at the same prison cell with former OCS Central Police Station Samson Talam who is charged with murdering teacher-blogger Albert Ojwang.
“All the three, Obado, Oyamo and Obiero were detained at the same cell with Talam,” our source disclosed.
Justice Gauge learnt that they were given mattresses, beds and blankets before being booked into cell.
In that cell there is a television set where remandees follow news.
It is in that cell where freed former Sirisia MP John Walukhe was held.
Also former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was detained in that same cell.
Obado’s conviction was welcomed by FIDA and rights lawyers Hadelite Kwamboka, Pauline Kiteng’e and Sharon Mwanzia, who said justice was done for the deceased university student and unborn baby.
“The court stamped its authority as a champion for rights of women and children which have been trampled with impunity by the mighty and wealthy in the society,” said Ms Kiteng’e.
Obado, whose murder case was investigated by a serious crimes detective Nicholas ole Sena, was transferred to Kamiti Maximum Prison on July 24, 2024.
Obado, Oyamo and Obiero were transferred to Kamiti which is a high security remand home.
They arrived at Kamiti around 8:30am and booked into cells.
In the prison inmates are woken up at 6am, counted while squatting commonly known as ‘kappa’ before breakfast is served.
After breakfast, they are counted again before being dispatched to work.
After work they are counted before returning to wards where they lie on thin mattresses.
The cells hold at least 70 inmates who watch TV and are usually visited by relatives where they interact for 10 minutes.
Relatives and inmates speak in either Kiswahili or English.
Money given to the inmates is kept by the welfare office.
Money is registered under the inmates name and they use it to buy essentials.
The most striking thing is numerous counts as warders keep watching prisoners movements routinely.
Justice Gauge has been reliably told by the prisons department that there are no classified inmates- "all are the same. they are equal and subjected to the same treatment."
Obado, who was a governor and held with esteem will now change his lifestyle from commanding billions, moving in posh cars, guarded heavily and living in a spacious house. He will now be confined to a solitary cell with around 60 prisoners as he awaits either a death sentence or a long period in jail.
He will be visited by relatives as many times as possible.
A prison warder told Justice Gauge that at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison where he is being detained, the flow of visitors in controlled.
