Uasin Gishu-based model and fashion designer Edwin Chiloba is the latest member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, LQBTQ, community to be brutally murdered.
The LGBTQ activist was murdered a few days ago, his body stashed in a metal box and dumped along Kipenyo – Kaptinga road in Kapsaret, Uasin Gishu County.
A video of him partying with friends emerged online and it is believed to be his last public moment. The video was recorded on December 31. He was in a red trouser and black top that had silvery decorations at the front. Chiloba was wearing the same outfit when his body was found.
His death comes just months after he was attacked and left with serious injuries.
Sheila Lumumba
Lumumba was brutally murdered in April last year at her home in Karatina, Nyeri county. According to reports, 6 men invaded her home and raped her before taking away her life.
While the motive behind Chiloba’s murder is yet to be established, Lumumba’s murder is believed to have been caused by her sexual orientation.
50-year old Trans Nzoia intersex woman
Shortly after the death of Lumumba, a 50- year old intersex woman was reportedly killed in Trans Nzoia in May. The name of the victim was however withheld.
She was also raped before and her half-naked body dumped by the roadside in Kachibora.
On the day she was murdered, she was spotted drunk along Kachibora-Kapcherop road at around 5pm.
Erica Chandra
The trans-woman activist was found murdered in Westlands along the general Mathenge Drive in 2021. She was a member of the Jinsiangu Organization which advocates for the rights of the intersex, transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.
Joash Mosoti
He is an LGBTQ activist who was murdered in May 2021. His body was found in his home in Bamburi, Mombasa County. Following the murder, a suspect was arrested and arraigned in court.
According to GALCK secretariat, Mosoti has reported concerns about his safety a few months before his death.
He was peer educator at Pema Kenya and a security focal person at Hapa Kenya.
Chriton Atuhwera
Atuhwera was a Uganda refugee who was forced to flee home because of being an LGBTQ member.
He met his untimely death in March 15, 2021 at Kakuma refugee camp, where he had called home since January 2020.
According to his Ugandan friend, who also stayed at the camp, they lived in block 13 which mostly housed LGBTQ individuals.
“Unknown individuals threw a petrol firebomb into the shelter, injuring Chriton, and another gay man, Jordan Ayesigye, both of whom suffered second-degree burns.
“Chriton, who was commonly known as “Trinidad Jerry”, died on April 13, nearly a month after the attack . He was just 22 years old,” the witness narrated.
