Human rights organizations condemned the killing of an LGBTQ activist, whose body was discovered crammed inside a metal box, and Kenyan police reported making one arrest.
Edwin Chiloba; image credits – BBC
The Body Of Edwin Chiloba
The body of Edwin Chiloba was discovered on a road on Wednesday in the western county of Uasin Gishu. According to the police, a motorbike taxi driver saw a car without license plates dump the package. The rider told the police, who were manning a roadblock nearby, about it. When the officers opened the box, they discovered the body of a male who was allegedly dressed as a woman. As soon as the body was recognized as Chiloba’s, it was transported to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital so the cause of death could be determined. Peter Kimulwo, the director of criminal investigations for the Uasin Gichu county, told journalists on Friday that one individual was detained after neighbors saw him and two other people remove a metal box from Chiloba’s home.
The Culprit Of Edwin Chiloba’s Murder
Neighbors claimed that the suspect, photographer Jacktone Odhiambo, who is based in Nairobi, spent New Year’s Day with Chiloba, and that they overheard disturbance and sobbing. After that night, Chiloba’s neighbors did not see him again. An arrest has been made of the prime suspect in the killing of LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba. The main suspect in the death of LGBTQ activist & model Edwin Kiprotich Kiptoo, also known as Chiloba, has been detained by police in Eldoret.
Odhiambo informed the neighbors that the scent emanating from Chiloba’s home was caused by a dead rat when they inquired about it. Whether Odhiambo had a lawyer or another representative to speak on his behalf wasn’t immediately clear on Friday. According to a tweet sent on Thursday by his buddy Denis Nzioka, Chiloba has previously been harassed and abused for his advocacy.
Edwin Chiloba: Victim Of Abuse And Harassment
Chiloba, according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission, was a victim of “another despicable incident of homophobic assault,” on Friday. Agnès Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, demanded in a tweet that Chiloba’s “heartbreaking” murder be thoroughly and independently investigated, “leaving no stone unturned.” Local activist Njeri Migwi paid tribute to Chiloba, a fashion designer, saying that “he epitomized fashion.”
As Ghanaian human rights group Rightify urged President William Ruto to “guarantee the protection as well as promotion of human rights of sexual & gender minorities,” the calls for justice have gone beyond Kenya. LGBTQ persons in Kenya have frequently criticized attacks and prejudice in a nation where sex among men is forbidden. Kenya has a mainly conservative culture, and the president has previously stated that LGBT rights are unimportant in Kenya.
FAQs
1. When did Edwin Chiloba die?
Ans. January 4, 2023
2. What is the occupation of Edwin Chiloba?
Ans. popular fashion designer, Model, and gay rights activist
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