Kenya LGBTQ activist murder: Suspect, believed to be victim's friend, arrested
File photo of Edwin Chiloba.
The Kenyan police have arrested a suspect in the killing of 25-year-old LGBTQ rights activist Edwin Chiloba, who was found dead by the roadside on Wednesday (January 4)around 40 kilometres outside the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. Police discovered his body stuffed in a metal trunk. Speaking to reporters on Friday (January 6),Peter Kimulwo, head of investigations at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office in Eldoret, said the suspect is in custody and his role in the murder is being investigated.
"We are holding him as a prime suspect because there are leads pointing to him and others, but all these are subject to conclusive investigations," Kimulwo said, adding the suspect was believed to be a long-time friend of Edwin Chiloba, news agency AFP reported.
The officer also said that police were looking for people seen loading a metal container into a car at Chiloba's house.
Apart from being an LGBTQ activist, Chiloba was also a fashion designer and model. His killinghas sparked nationwide outrage.
Taking to Twitter Denis Nzioka, a friend of Chiloba, said that he (Chiloba) had been attacked in the past. "You represented and lived life well, Edwin Chiloba. RIP+," Nzaioka tweeted on Thursday.
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Issuing a statement on Friday, the Kenya Human Rights Commission said it was truly worrisome that "we continue to witness escalation in violence targeting LGBTQ+ Kenyans."
The commission added that the human rights of people from the community were being violated with little consequence for perpetrators. The commission further urged the police to carry out a swift probe and ensure Edwin Chiloba's killers were apprehended and prosecuted, AFP reported
Remembering Chiloba, the Kenya LGBTQ Feminist Forum said the 25-year-old used fashion to deconstruct gender and advocate for the rights of the marginalised group.
Homosexuality is a taboo in Kenya and attempts to overturn British colonial-era laws banning homosexuality have been unsuccessful. Gay sex in Kenya remains a punishable crime with penalties that include imprisonment of up to 14 years.
(With agency inputs)
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