Photographer nabbed by DCI officers as prime suspect in Murder of an LGBTQ activist

Police officers in Eldoret town Friday arrested a prime suspect linked to the brutal murder of an LGBTQ activist Edwin Kiptoo alias Chiloba.

 Uasin Gishu County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Peter Kimulwo says the suspect, a 24-year-old freelance photographer based in Nairobi, was  arrested on January 6, 2023 in connection to the murder.

In a media briefing at the Eldoret Central Police station, Kimulwo said the suspect had been a close friend to the deceased and  had  travelled  from Nairobi  to celebrate the  New year festivities with the Deceased .

 Police have since established the Suspect  who visited Chiloba recently and together with two  other individuals they were staying at his Eldoret Home where they spent time together  and were  even spotted having fun at a Popular Club In Eldoret on the  1St of January as they ushered in the  New  year ,

Kimulwo says the trio were spotted at Tamasha Club on the outskirts of Eldoret town along the Eldoret Uganda Highway . “They left the club at around 3 am and headed to where they lived. When they arrived at the house, the neighbourhood said they had some commotion which subsided after a while,” Kimulwo said. “From that day, the deceased person had not been seen,” he added.

 Police suspect the deceased died  during the commotions that neighbors had  heard earlier on January 1, 2023. It is also believed, the body of Chiloba was stashed in the metal box inside his house and moved out by a numberless car that later dropped the box along Kipkenyo-Kaptinga road.

Supecting members of  the  public  had  raised an alarm over  a foul smell coming out of the  trios house ,

“Some of  the Neighbors questioned the prime suspect over a foul smell emanating from the house , but they were told  probably  a rat had  died,”Added kimulwo.

The arrested suspect  has been identified as Jackton Odhiambo.“This suspect is a freelance photographer. He lives in Nairobi and had just come to join his friends for the New Year,” the CCIO told journalists.

Two other individuals that assisted in loading the metal box to a car are being hunted by the police. Detectives are also tracing the vehicle that dropped the metal box. Police further say they will do a postmortem on the body of Edwin Kiptoo ‘Chiloba’, who, based on preliminary investigations indicate that he was strangled to death and one of  his  eyes  gouged out . The body of the deceased was discovered on January 3, 2022, but it was until Thursday night that the identity was discovered.

His remains have been preserved at the Moi Teaching and  referral Hospital Mortuary ,

The Family of the  deceased claim Chiloba was an orphaned  child  and   his sister was paying  for his school fees at the Eldoret University where  he was  pursuing a Fashion and design Course  and  was due to graduate .

‘We had  a lot of  hopes in him, he used to work really  hard  we urge the police to ensure  those  who killed him are brought to book, we  had  communicated  on Christmas day and on the  eve of  1sy January  and that was the last conversation we had  when he had promised to  visit  us at home”Said  Chelimo Tanui a  cousin to the  deceased