Jackton Odhiambo found guilty of killing LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba

Jackton Odhiambo, the prime suspect in the murder of LGBTQ+ activist Edwin ‘Chiloba’ Kiprotich Kiptoo, has been found guilty of the offence by the Eldoret High Court.

Odhiambo, who is said to have committed the offense on December 31, 2022, in Kimumu, on the outskirts of Eldoret, will be sentenced on December 16, 2024.

While delivering the verdict, Eldoret High Court Justice Reuben Nyakundi stated that evidence presented had established that Odhiambo was the last person seen with the deceased at an entertainment joint in Langas on the night of the incident, ultimately leaving together.

Justice Nyakundi added that investigative findings had established that the suspect sexually assaulted the deceased before killing him.

Chiloba’s body was discovered stuffed in a metallic box in Kipkenyo, Eldoret, on January 3, 2023.

According to eyewitness accounts, his alleged killers dropped off the metallic box along the Kipkenyo-Katinga road before speeding off.

It is suspected that Chiloba was murdered at an apartment in Chepkolel, Moiben, where he lived with Odhiambo, his alleged boyfriend.

Five suspects were subsequently arrested and arraigned in connection with the incident, among them Odhiambo. The other four suspects, however, were freed.

Odhiambo was later charged with murder, pleading not guilty to the offence. He subsequently applied for bail but dropped his application.