A landmark legal verdict has just been passed out by a Kenyan court; Jacktone Odhiambo is found guilty of activist Edwin Chiloba’s gruesome murder in a ruling that sends crucial human rights signals across the nation. The case which was a major let down of Kenyans and citizens of the world was a gruesome one, Chiloba was killed mercilessly, his body dumped in a metal box near Eldoret early January 2023. In his judgment, Justice Reuben Nyakundi upheld the evidence presented by the prosecution among them the DNA tests which pointed directly to Odhiambo.
Chiloba’s death was one of the worst the court described in detail on how it happened. Testimonies given established that Odhiambo who was the neighbour of the deceased and thought to be dating the victim, had raped Chiloba prior to stabbing him to death. The autopsy also showed that Chiloba choked to death, with socks forced into his mouth and a piece of denim cloth tied around his face, showing he was throttled to death.
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The conviction comes at a sensitive moment for the LGTBQ+ community in Kenya where homosexuality is still outlawed. Despite possible legal persecution, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission welcomed the ruling as a “landmark victory” on the way to justice. Although the societal context can be considered conservative, there is a precedent for the Supreme Court’s decision that allowed LGBT people to associate and register rights organizations.
