One Detained In Kenya Following Death Of LGBTQ Activist

Human rights organizations have condemned the killing of the LGBTQ activist, whose body was discovered crammed inside a metal box, and Kenya police have made one arrest.

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. Mr. Chiloba’s remains was recognized and transported to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to establish the cause of death.

According to police spokesperson Resila Onyango, the reason is yet unknown.

“At this time, we are unsure of the cause of his death. The situation is being handled by experts, she stated.

Peter Kimulwo, head of criminal investigations for the Uasin Gichu county, told reporters that one individual was detained after neighbors saw him and two other people remove a metal box from Mr. Chiloba’s home.

According to Mr. Kimulwo, the suspect, Nairobi-based photographer Jacktone Odhiambo, spent New Year’s Day with Mr. Chiloba, and neighbors reported hearing disturbance and sobbing. After that evening, Mr. Chiloba was not seen by his neighbours again.

Mr. Odhiambo informed the curious neighbors that the unpleasant smell emanating from Mr. Chiloba’s home was caused by a dead rat, according to Mr. Kimulwo. It wasn’t immediately obvious if Mr. Odhiambo had a lawyer or other representation to speak on his behalf,

According to a tweet from his buddy Denis Nzioka on Thursday, Mr. Chiloba had previously been harassed and physically assaulted for his activism.

In a statement released on Friday, the Kenya Human Rights Commission described Mr. Chiloba as the victim of “another horrific act of homophobic assault.”

Agnès Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International, demanded in a tweet that the “heartbreaking” murder of Mr. Chiloba be thoroughly and independently investigated, “leaving no stone unturned.”

Njeri Migwi, a local activist, praised Mr. Chiloba, a fashion designer, saying that “he represented fashion.”

As Ghanaian human rights group Rightify urged President William Ruto to “guarantee the protection and promotion of human rights of s*xual and 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 between men is forbidden. Kenya has a mainly conservative culture, and the president has previously stated that LGBT rights are unimportant in Kenya.