Jacktone Odhiambo to be charged with murder of Edwin Chiloba; four other suspects freed

Jacktone Odhiambo, arraigned over death of LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba, will be charged with murder, court says.

Four other suspects who were detained alongside Odhiambo were released on Tuesday, January 2023. "Following our investigation we have established that four of the suspects are not linked to the murder. However, the first suspect, Jacktone Odhiambo, will be charged with murder," State Counsel told the Eldoret Law Courts.

The prosecution further said that three of the suspects were minors, and will be reporting to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI) offices once a month for three months for grilling.

Chiloba's body was found stuffed in a metallic box along the Kipenyo-Kaptinga Road in Mokombet village, Uasin Gishu County.

A postmortem conducted by government Pathologist Johansen Oduor revealed Chiloba died of suffocation. They found three pairs of socks stuffed in his mouth and a pair of denim jeans covering his nose and mouth, blocking passage of air.

"Hatukupata majeraha yoyote kwa mwili wake ndio maana tukachukua samples ili tujue mbona hakuwa anaresist wakati alikuwa anafanyiwa vile," Dr Oduor added.

The U.S State Department Spokesperson Ned Price called for justice against the activist's brutal murder.

"We urge and expect the Kenyans to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into his death. And of course, if there’s anything we can do to assist, we stand ready to do that," Prince told Washington Blade, a LGBTQ newspaper.

Odhiambo will undergo a mental test to ascertain whether he is fit to stand trial and will appear in court on February 8.