A Kenyan court has found Jacktone Odhiambo guilty of the murder of LGBT activist Edwin Kiprotich Kipruto, widely known as Edwin Chiloba. The case, which drew widespread attention, concluded nearly two years after Chiloba’s body was discovered abandoned in a metal box on a roadside in Eldoret, where he was a university student.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi, presiding over the trial in Eldoret, stated that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Odhiambo, who lived with Chiloba, was responsible for the killing. Key evidence, including DNA tests, linked Odhiambo to the crime, while further findings revealed that Chiloba had been sexually assaulted before being smothered to death.
“He was a young man whose life you ended in its prime,” Judge Nyakundi remarked during the ruling. “As close friends, you had a duty to protect him, not harm him.”
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The court established that Odhiambo had strangled Chiloba between December 31, 2022, and January 3, 2023. Chiloba’s body was later found with socks stuffed in his mouth and his face tied with denim. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he had died from suffocation due to smothering.
While the motive for the murder remains unclear, the judge emphasized the suspect’s deliberate intent and apparent animosity toward the victim.
The prosecution, which presented testimony from 23 witnesses, highlighted the meticulous work that went into establishing the timeline and circumstances leading to Chiloba’s death. “This landmark ruling is a significant step toward justice for Edwin and all LGBTQ individuals in Kenya and beyond,” stated the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
Odhiambo, who denied the charges throughout the trial, is set to be sentenced on December 16. The case has been hailed as a critical moment in the fight for justice for the LGBTQ community in Kenya, a country where discrimination and violence against sexual minorities remain prevalent.