Devastating Killing of Kenyan LGBTQ+ Fashion Designer Raises Awareness Around Dating Violence
By Judy Bokao
Today, the Kenyan LGBTQ+ community buries one of its own. Edwin Chiloba was a young legend in the making whose life tragically ended at his lover’s hands. Chiloba was a queer Kenyan fashion designer who had just started to make a name for himself in the East African fashion industry.
The news of Chiloba’s death hit the waves on January 3rd when his body was discovered in a metallic box by the road. At the time, Boda Boda riders (public motorcyclists in Kenya) called the police, after seeing a car with hidden number plates discard a mysterious metallic box.
Upon arrival, the police opened the box to find Chiloba’s remains and questions quickly arose. Who killed the LGBTQ+ activist and why? Many at the time were worried that this could be another case of a homophobic hate crime. Over the past few years, many LGBTQ+ activists have been killed by unknown people and justice has been elusive.
Chiloba himself had once been attacked and heavily beaten by unknown men because of his sexual orientation. It was not surprising that many assumed that it might have happened again and this time, Chiloba didn’t survive.
As many took to Twitter to condemn the killing, the police at Langas launched an investigation. New details about Chiloba’s death soon started trickling in. Chiloba was last seen in public ringing in the New Year with his boyfriend and other friends. They took a video while partying and celebrating at a club. Sadly, Chiloba was later killed in the early hours of 1st January.
According to his neighbors, Chiloba and his boyfriend, Jacktone Odhiambo arrived from the club at around 3:00 AM. The neighbors heard a bit of commotion and cries but everything quickly fell silent. No one heard from Chiloba after that.
The two had been living together for a year and Jacktone used Chiloba’s phone to contact the caretaker and notify him that they were vacating the house. The caretaker didn’t think much of it until January 3rd when Chiloba’s body was found.
Many of the neighbors, including the caretaker, reported to the police that just a few hours after complaining about a foul smell coming from Chiloba’s house, Jacktone was seen carrying the same metallic box from their shared house. At the time, Jacktone had lied to the caretaker that the foul smell emanating from the house was a dead rat.
The police soon arrested Jacktone Odhiambo and he admitted to killing Chiloba in a jealous fit. According to Jacktone, Chiloba was cheating on him. However, a close friend of Chiloba, Michelle Ntalami, hinted that the relationship was not as rosy as the photos the couple shared on the internet.
Ntalami eulogised the fashion designer in her Instagram account noting that she had talked to Chiloba about his toxic relationship with Jacktone. “Painful, that he who claimed to love you broke your heart over and over, and eventually took your life. We talked about it so many times. That was NOT love. But that pure heart of yours would not let go, she lamented in her post.
She said that humanity had lost a kind soul and she is right. Chiloba was kind and even based on his past interviews where he spoke about his journey, you could sense he is a calm guy. He seemed like a man who doesn’t like confrontations.
This is especially clear in his interview with Ebru Tv where he talked in depth about the homophobic experience he went through with his family. His family members chased him away and cited that they were scared he would “infect” their kids to be gay. His sister and family elders used this to their advantage. They even refused to share the land left by his parents insisting that Chiloba must marry a woman first and start a family. They excluded, stigmatised and refused to let him be part of the family.
Even after his death, they refuse to hear his truth. His sister denied that Edwin was queer or an LGBTQ+ activist. According to them, Edwin was a pastor and a model and was never queer. It is saddening that they tried to take away how he identified himself . Chiloba has never shied away from speaking and embracing his sexuality.
Chiloba’s death has awakened many things in Kenya but mostly it is clear that Kenya continues to ignore the plight of the LGBTQ+ community. A few people took to social media to mock and condemn Chiloba and Jacktone for being lovers. Many refuse to acknowledge that abuse can happen in any relationship whether hetero or queer. They blame Chiloba for being gay and feel like it is a waste of time to discuss the core issue at hand.
Recently, Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali asked that the Government consider jailing LGBTQ+ members in Kenya. Efforts to legalize gay sex in Kenya have always been thwarted as many remain conservative and think it is against human nature.
The truth is, a man is dead and he died a gruesome death. His sexual orientation is not a matter that should tear a country apart. Instead, we should be talking about how to recognize when you are in an abusive relationship and empowering anyone in that situation to leave. We should be talking to gay men out here and assuring them it is okay to seek help if you are in such a situation. The same applies to all queer relationships, abuse comes in many forms and mocking a man for being in such a situation is deplorable.
We failed Chiloba. We are failing the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya and we are failing ourselves. Love is love but hate is a poison that runs deep. Teaching our kids to hate the LGBTQ+ community, does more harm than acceptance.
Chiloba was an icon in the making, a star just on the cusp of shining brighter and his dreams were silenced. How heartbreaking that we forget he was a beautiful human being simply because he was gay. How utterly heartbreaking!
About the Author:
Judy Bokao was born in Ethiopia but relocated to Nairobi two years ago. She is passionate about everyone having equal rights and is also big on conservation and speaking up for our planet. Judy loves reading and photography and is just a free-spirited young lady trying to grow into a woman her mom can be proud of.
