NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The roommate of an LGBTQ+ activist in Kenya was sentenced Monday to 50 years in prison for the murder of Edwin Chiloba, whose mutilated body was discovered in a metal coffin nearly two years ago.
The High Court in Eldoret has found Jacktone Odhiambo guilty of the January 2023 murder that drew global attention to attitudes towards gay rights in largely conservative Kenya, where President William Ruto has called gay rights a non-issue and sex between men illegal is.
Chiloba was widely known in the Kenyan LGBTQ+ community for his activism against discrimination.
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Odhiambo denied killing his housemate despite DNA samples being found on the victim’s body. He can appeal the conviction. DNA evidence showed that the two men had an intimate physical relationship, but the court did not rule on the motive for the murder.
During the trial, witnesses testified that they heard the housemates arguing and later saw Odhiambo move the metal box.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi said during sentencing that Odhiambo had planned the murder while waiting for the two to return home from a nightclub. Chiloba had marks on his hands that showed he was trying to fight back, Nyakundi said.
LGBTQ+ people have condemned discrimination and attacks in Kenya, but police ruled out the possibility that the killing was a hate crime.
