Witness tells court that LQBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba was dating hiA witness has told the High Court in Eldoret that former LQBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba was dating Jacktone Odhiambo who is facing charges of murdering the activist.
The witness who requested not to be named said Chiloba had confirmed to her that he was dating Odhiambo.
The witness was close friend and classmate to Chiloba at the University of Eldoret where they were both doing a course in fashion and design.
She made the revelation during the hearing of a case in which Jacktone Odhiambo is charged with murdering Chiloba on December 1st last year.
Odhiambo has denied the murder charges. The second batch of three witness have testified before Justice Reuben Nyakundi who is hearing the murder case.
The witness was led in giving her testimony by the prosecution team led by state counsel Mark Mugun.
The witness said she lived on the same apartment with Chiloba and they often visited each other mostly to.exchange notes on their studies.
“We were friends and quite often visited each other”, she said.
She said Chiloba lived on the upper floor at the Canan B apartments near the University of Eldoret.
The witness said he had severally seen Odhiambo at Chiloba’s house.
“I knew Jacktone as a friend to Chiloba but later Chiloba told me that they were dating’, she said.
The witness told the court that at some time on December 23rd last year he saw Chiloba’s household goods being moved from his house yet he had not informed her that he was shifting house.
“I immediately called Chiloba who told me that he was in Mumias and was not moving from his house”, said the witness.
Chiloba then called back after a shortwhile and told her that he had talked to Odhiambo and he had agreed to the moving of his household goods.
On December 1st this year early in the morning she heard some irritating commotion on the stairs of the apartments and when she went to check she saw some people moving a heavy metal box down the stairs.
She recalled having seen the same metal box in Chiloba’s house and did not suspect anything because Chiloba had confirmed that his items were to be moved from his house.
A few days later she was alerted of pictures doing rounds in social media of metal box with a body that had been dumped in Eldoret.
When she checked to view the pictures she identified the body be that of Chiloba because the clothes he was putting on.
The witness then broke down and wept as she was asked to explain further what she had seen in the pictures.
Two other witness including a photographer Dennis Ochieng and Patricia Nyambura also testified in the case.
They told the court how they had been together with Jacktone and Chiloba at the Tamasha club on end year night of December 31st last year.
“As we were getting into the club we saw Odhiambo and Chiloba dancing near the entrance” , said Ochieng.
They later at dawn left the club in a taxi after partying at the club.
Odhiambo is accused of murdering Chiloba on December 1st last year. The body of the LQBTQ activist was discovered on January 3rd near Kipkaren Estate in a metal box.
More than 20 witnesses are lined up to testify in the case. The hearing will continue on November 20th and 22nd.
Ends