Kenyan Court Sentences Edwin Chiloba’s Killer to 50 Years
Mixed reactions follow the sentencing of Jacktone Odhiambo, as activists call for greater safety and equality for Kenya’s LGBTQ+ community.
Chiloba's family pushed for the death penalty.
A Kenyan court has sentenced Jacktone Odhiambo to 50 years in prison for the murder of Edwin Chiloba, an LGBTQ+ activist and model.
The ruling comes almost two years after Chiloba's body was found in a metal box along a roadside in Eldoret. This crime sparked widespread outrage and spotlighted the dangers faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Kenya.
Odhiambo, who had been living with Chiloba in Eldoret, was arrested shortly after the body was discovered. Evidence presented in court, including testimony from 22 witnesses and forensic findings that confirmed asphyxiation, implicated Odhiambo. The police believe the killing was premeditated.
Authorities also believe the two men had been in a romantic relationship. Despite pleading not guilty when arraigned in February 2023, Odhiambo was convicted earlier this month.
Odhiambo's lawyer, Sammy Mathai, confirmed Monday's ruling, "Yes, my client has been sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment. At the moment, I have not received any instructions to appeal."
Chiloba's family had pushed for the death penalty, but Justice Reuben Nyakundi imposed a 50-year sentence, citing it as a middle ground between life imprisonment and capital punishment. "I have looked at the matter and weighed all balances," the judge explained.
The sentence has sparked mixed reactions on social media. Commenters offered different perspectives, with some focusing on the criminal nature of the act while highlighting societal attitudes toward homosexuality and others critiquing the sentence's length and severity.
Rights organizations, including the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International Kenya, condemned the killing and called for stronger protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. Activists view the sentence as a significant step toward justice.
"It is justice that took a long time to get there," said Ivy Werimba, communications officer at galck+, a coalition of LGBTIQ organizations in Kenya, adding that the sentence was an overdue acknowledgment of the community's struggles. "When queer people are saying they want their rights, it's not anything special. We are also Kenyan citizens living our own lives and going through things we'd like our institutions to help us with."
