A Kenyan court has sentenced Jacktone Odhiambo, a freelance photographer, to 50 years in prison for the murder of his lover, Edwin Kiprotich Kipruto, a well-known LGBTQ activist.
The brutal killing of Kipruto, better known as Edwin Chiloba, in January 2023 shocked both the Kenyan LGBTQ community and international human rights groups. Initially, the murder was thought to be a hate crime, but it was later revealed that Odhiambo, Chiloba’s housemate and lover, was responsible for the crime.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi described the crime as diabolical and said the sentence reflected how the murder was carried out.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Chiloba, a 25-year-old model and fashion designer, had been smothered to death. A piece of denim was tied around his mouth and nose, with socks stuffed into his mouth. His body was found 40 kilometres outside Eldoret, having reportedly been discarded from a moving car.
