Housemate convicted of murdering Kenyan LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba
LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba, who was found dead on the side of the road in Kenya in January 2023. (Credit: (AFP/Getty Images/Lawrence Leteipa)
A photographer has been convicted of murdering Kenyan LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba.
A court in the western city of Eldoret ruled that the prosecution had proved Jacktone Odhiambo was responsible for the murder of his long-time friend and housemate.
Chiloba’s body was found in a metal box by the side of the road in Uasin Gishu County in January 2023, after a taxi driver reported seeing a car without licence plates dumping it.
Preliminary investigations showed his eyes had been gouged out. While Nation gave the cause of death as strangulation, the BBC reported that a post-mortem indicated that he had died from lack of oxygen, caused by smothering. Socks had been stuffed into his mouth.
‘You should have protected his life’
Judge Reuben Nyakundi ruled that the evidence, which included DNA tests, linked Odhiambo to the murder, the BBC reported.
The prosecution presented evidence from 23 witnesses “detailing the events leading to Chiloba’s death and proving beyond reasonable doubt that [Odhiambo] intentionally caused the unlawful death”.
Further evidence indicated that he had sexually assaulted Chiloba before killing him.
“He was a young man whom you strangled until he lost his life at the peak of his life. You were close friends, and you should have protected his life,” the judge said.
The motive for the killing remains unknown. However, it is believed the pair had been in a relationship. Gay sex is illegal in Kenya, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Penal Code 1930.
Odhiambo is due to be sentenced on 16 December.
‘An amazing human’
Chiloba’s death rocked the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya, with friends describing the activist as “an amazing human” and an “iconic fashion designer”.
Several attempts to decriminalise gay sex in the East African country have failed, and president William Ruto has branded LGBTQ+ rights a “non-issue”.
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