Roommate of Prominent Gay Human Rights Leader Sentenced For The Killing in Kenya

Relatives carrying portraits of a Kenyan activist whose killing caused international outrage among rights groups.Credit...Simon Maina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

 

By Abdi Latif Dahir

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya

The New York Times

The roommate of a prominent gay activist in Kenya was convicted on Wednesday of murdering him, almost two years after the grisly killing shocked the East African nation and spread chilling fear among its gay community.

The activist, Edwin Chiloba, was found dead and stuffed into a metal box by the roadside in Uasin Gishu County in the country’s west in January 2023, an episode that prompted international calls from activists and rights groups for Kenya to better protect its L.G.B.T.Q. community.

On Wednesday, a high court judge said that Jackton Odhiambo, a 25-year-old freelance photographer and roommate of Mr. Chiloba, had planned the killing. The two were last seen walking on the staircase to their shared apartment after a night out. Afterward, witnesses heard cries coming from the apartment, which subsided after a short while.

DNA evidence collected from the scene showed that Mr. Odhiambo had sexual intercourse with Mr. Chiloba before killing him, said the judge, Justice Reuben Nyambati Nyakundi of the Eldoret High Court. But an examination of the evidence did not reveal Mr. Odhiambo’s motive for the killing. 

“I went for an expedition, and I could not find what could have been the motive of causing the death of your dear friend,” Justice Nyakundi said.

Jackton Odhiambo wearing a gray hooded jacket and a mask. Men in camouflage stand behind him.

Jackton Odhiambo at the Eldoret High Court in Kenya in January 2023.Credit...Peter Odiambo/Associated Press

 

Mr. Odhiambo’s sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16. Mr. Odhiambo had pleaded not guilty to the killing when he was first arraigned in court.

Mr. Chiloba was known across Kenya as a model, budding fashion designer and a vocal proponent of civil rights for gay people. His killing shocked the country, where consensual gay sex is still criminalized by law and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. (In his ruling, the judge described the physical intimate relationship between Mr. Odhiambo and Mr. Chiloba as “a sexual act against nature according to our laws.”)

From the outset, the police said they were not treating Mr. Chiloba’s killing as a domestic violence case or a homophobic hate crime. 

A few days after his body was discovered, a government pathologist said Mr. Chiloba had died from suffocation. Socks were stuffed into his mouth, and a piece of jeans was wrapped around his mouth and nose.

When residents and a caretaker complained of a foul smell stemming from the apartment, Mr. Odhiambo said it was coming from the sewer, Justice Nyakundi said. Later, as Mr. Odhiambo planned to get rid of the body, he used Mr. Chiloba’s mobile phone to pay for transactions, including the purchase of the metallic box, the judge added.

“You had such hatred, you had such ill will, you had such revenge and vengeance to your trusted friend that you made sure that his killing would shake Uasin Gishu County and that his killing would shake the entire world,” Justice Nyakundi said.

Kenya’s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission welcomed Mr. Odhiambo’s conviction on Wednesday, saying that the ruling marked a significant step toward justice for Mr. Chiloba’s family and friends.

“This verdict marks a long-awaited moment of accountability, offering a glimmer of justice for Edwin and a reminder that no act of violence against LGBTIQ+ resident of Kenya will go unchallenged or unchecked,” the group said in a statement.