A Kenyan court on Monday sentenced to 50 years in prison a freelance photographer convicted of the murder of his lover, a young LGBT+ activist, a case which sparked strong international condemnation two years ago.
The body of Edwin Chiloba, a 25-year-old designer and model, was found on January 4, 2023 in a trunk on the side of the road in the Rift Valley, in western Kenya.
Jacktone Odhiambo, Edwin Chiloba’s roommate and lover, was convicted of the murder by a court in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. The sentence was based on “the diabolical manner” in which the crime was committed, said the judge, Reuben Nyakundi.
An autopsy revealed that Edwin Chiloba had suffocated to death, with a piece of jeans around his mouth and nose and socks found in his mouth. “The victim’s family still has more questions than answers as to why a close friend was the one who planned and carried out this murder with impunity,” the judge said, adding that Jacktone Odhiambo had expressed no remorse.
In Kenya, LGBT+ people face precariousness and discrimination in a predominantly Christian and conservative society where homosexuality is taboo, as in many African countries. Same-sex sexual relations are punishable by law, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
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