Jacktone Odhiambo Sentenced to 50 Years for Killing LGBTQ Activist Edwin Chiloba

Freelance photographer Jacktone Odhiambo, who was last week found guilty of killing LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba, was on Monday, December 16, sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder.

While delivering the ruling at the Eldoret High Court, Justice Reuben Nyakundi described the case as aggravated homicide, stating that it was a murder that was premeditated, planned, and executed brutally.

He noted that the accused had shown no sincere or genuine remorse since the incident and deserved the death penalty, which is, however, not implemented in Kenya.

“I have looked at the matter and weighed all balances the middle ground between the death penalty and life imprisonment is that you serve 50 years in jail for this offense”, said Justice Nyakundi.

Chiloba was found dead on January 4, 2023, in a metal trunk along a pathway in Eldoret. An autopsy report later confirmed that he died of asphyxiation. 

Led by Mark Mugun, the prosecution had presented evidence from 23 witnesses, including DNA profiles that linked the suspect to the crime.

When the murder was discovered in 2023, Odhiambo rose to the prime suspect list almost immediately and was arrested among four others.

Witnesses reported seeing him in possession of the trunk Chiloba was found in and DNA reports presented during the trial confirmed this assertion.

Key evidence included DNA extracted from Chiloba’s body and personal items, which showed a mixture of Odhiambo’s blood and the victim’s, confirming his involvement in the case.

The activist’s murder in 2023 drew widespread attention both locally and internationally with several activists and organisations describing it as a hate crime against members of the LGBTQ community.

Countries like the United States even offered to help in the probe.

In the end, this turned out to be unnecessary as the case and the trial wrapped up less than two years after the crime took place, almost a record time in Kenya’s judicial system.

The constitution of Kenya still criminalises same-sex relationships and marriages which certainly fueled the uproar the case caused.