LGBTQ Rights Activist Edwin Chiloba’s Decomposing Body Found On Kenya Side Road
Investigation is underway in Kenya after LGBTQ Rights activist and fashion designer Edwin Chiloba’s body was found stuffed in a metal box on a road.
According to CBS News, police say on Wednesday (Jan. 2), a motorcycle taxi operator spotted a vehicle with concealed license plates dumping the metal box on a road in Uasin Gishu County, close to where Chiloba ran his fashion business. The taxi operator reported what he saw to officers who were dealing with a roadblock close by
When officers opened the box, they discovered the decomposing body of a man who appeared to be wearing women’s clothing. Once identified as Chiloba’s body, his body was transported to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The motive of the killing remains unknown, according to police spokesperson Resila Onyango, however, on Friday (Jan. 6), a suspect was arrested in connection with Chiloba’s death, CNN reports.
"Police arrested one male suspect in Eldoret on Friday. He is the main suspect but the matter is still under investigation,” Onyango said.
Chiloba’s fight for equality is “about inclusion,” as he stated in a December Instagram post. “And if I am going to fight what I have been marginalized for, I am going to fight for all marginalized people.”
Kenya is under a “British colonial-era law,” according to CNN. Gay sex in Kenya is punishable offense and can result in a 14-year prison stint. Though the law is hardly ever enforced, discrimination frequently happens.
