Edwin Chiloba: Witness Recalls Metallic Box Carrying Body Of Slain Gay Activist Being Removed From Apartment

• A lady witness testifying in the Edwin Chiloba murder case told an Eldoret court that she saw Jackton Odhiambo, the deceased's roommate, carrying a metallic box
• That was on the dawn of January 1 this year; she would not know immediately that the contents of the box were Chiloba's remains
• Chiloba, a proud gay rights activist and fashionista, was discovered dead on January 3 after days of going missing

Uasin Gishu county - A witness testifying in the ongoing trial of the murder of Edwin Chiloba gave her account on Thursday, August 3.

The lady said she was friends with the now-deceased by virtue of residing in the same apartment and also being students at the University of Eldoret.

They would often meet in the company of others for discussions and assignments, owing to the fact that they all studied fashion and design.

"It is true that we were close friends and often visited each other as students and friends in the same campus," she said.

Who killed Chiloba?

She told the court she had conversed with Chiloba days before he went missing and was later found dead.

The witness, whose identity she did not want to be revealed, said she informed Chiloba of his belongings being moved out of their house, as Nation reports.

At that time, the proud gay rights activist was at his foster parents' place in Mumias, Kakamega county.

Answering the lady back, Chiloba said he was aware that his roommate identified as Jackton Odhiambo was removing his belongings from the house.

Odhiambo happens to be the prime suspect.

Was Chiloba gay?

The court heard that a group of men, with Odhiambo in their company, descended their apartment's stairs carrying a metallic trunk that seemed heavy.

This was on the dawn of January 1 this year.

She would not establish immediately what was being ferried, and it had not crossed her mind that the contents of the box would be Chiloba's remains.

Days later, she was shocked to learn that the box she had seen earlier had been bearing the body of Chiloba.

This was after the news went viral and graphic videos of the trunk and its contents were spread by social media users.

She identified the trunk after it was availed in court.

The lady told the court that Chiloba had confided in her that they were romantic partners with Odhiambo.

Chiloba's autopsy report

Government pathologist Johansen Oduor established that Chiloba died due to asphyxia after oxygen could not flow through his body.

As per the autopsy conducted on the body on January 11, at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, the pathologist explained that the killers used a piece of cloth and socks to bar the deceased's inhalation of oxygen.

According to Oduor, Chiloba's mouth was stuffed with socks, and his nose was blocked with a piece of jeans thus preventing him from breathing.

He also stated that neither wounds nor visible marks were found on the body.

"After the autopsy today, we found out that Chiloba was suffocated. His mouth and nose were blocked thus preventing the entry of oxygen. We established that socks were put inside his mouth and nose blocked by using jeans. He could not breathe thus leading to his death," said Oduor.

He further clarified that the deceased's eyes were not gouged out, as had been claimed, saying that the decomposition process occasioned them (eyes) to sink.

Chiloba was buried on January 17 at his native home in Elgeyo Marakwet.