Kenyan police have arrested four people for killing Edwin Chiloba, an LGBTQ activist and fashion designer. According to the BBC, investigators said the killers gouged Chiloba’s eyes and dumped his body, found Tuesday in a decomposed state, in a roadside metal box.
Police first detained Chiloba’s longtime friend as the main suspect.
“Police arrested one male suspect in Eldoret on Friday. He is the main suspect but the matter is still under investigation,” Resila Onyango, Kenya National Police Service’s spokesperson, said in a text message, according to CNN.
Police arrested three more suspects on Saturday and also seized the vehicle believed to have been used to dump Chiloba’s body.
Those close to Chiloba described him as an “amazing human” and an “iconic fashion designer.” The beloved activist, who was in his 20s, was considered an up-and-coming fashion industry star.
Chiloba left the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in 2019 and moved to the town of Eldoret to study fashion. In an Instagram post last month, Chiloba said he planned “to fight for all marginalised people.”
While the BBC reports a motive is still unclear, the Kenya Human Rights Commission is pressuring police “to conduct swift investigations and ensure the killers are apprehended and prosecuted.”
“It is truly worrisome that we continue to witness escalation in violence targeting LGBTQ+ Kenyans,” KHRC said in a statement, according to The Guardian. “Every day, the human rights of LGBTQ+ persons are being violated with little consequence for perpetrators.”
