A Kenyan court has sentenced Jacktone Odhiambo to 50 years in prison for the brutal murder of LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba. The High Court in Eldoret delivered the verdict on Monday, nearly two years after Chiloba’s mutilated body was found in a metal box in January 2023.
Chiloba, a prominent figure in Kenya’s LGBTQ+ community, was known for his fight against discrimination in a country where same-sex relations remain illegal and gay rights are dismissed by top officials, including President William Ruto.
Odhiambo, Chiloba’s housemate, denied the charges despite forensic evidence linking him to the crime. Witnesses testified to hearing arguments between the two before Odhiambo was seen moving the metal box containing Chiloba’s body. 
DNA evidence suggested an intimate relationship between the two, though the court did not establish a motive for the killing.
During the ruling, Justice Reuben Nyakundi stated that Odhiambo premeditated the murder, attacking Chiloba after they returned home from a nightclub. Chiloba had defensive wounds, indicating he tried to resist the attack.
While LGBTQ+ activists in Kenya have condemned the violence and systemic discrimination they face, authorities ruled out the killing as a hate crime.
Odhiambo has the right to appeal the sentence.
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