Man convicted of killing Kenyan activist, sentenced to 50 years in prison
Kenyan queer rights organizations have welcomed the sentencing of a freelance photographer to 50 years in prison for murdering prominent LGBTQ activist and fashion designer Edwin Chiloba nearly two years ago Justice Reuben Nyakundi on Monday sentenced Jacktone Odhiambo, 25, Chiloba’s partner, after the Eldoret High Court in western Kenya two weeks ago found him guilty of murder.
The 2-year trial, which comprised evidence from 23 witnesses and DNA tests the prosecution presented that placed him at the scene of the crime on New Year’s Day in 2023.
Chiloba had disappeared and his body was found stuffed in a metal box that had been dumped along the side of a road. The court was told that Chiloba and Odhiambo were last seen together at Tamasha Club in Eldoret on the night of Dec.
31, 2022, only for the deceased’s decomposing body to be discovered three days later. His brutal murder sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community in Kenya and attracted both local and international condemnation and calls for the conviction of perpetrators.
