A post-morterm of gay rights activist Edwin Chiloba shows he died due to suffocation caused by stuffing of pieces of cloth in mouth and nose, chief government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor has said.
Speaking to the press at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Oduor said Chiloba had coverings on his nose and mouth, leading to his suffocation.
“From our findings, the late Edwin died out of asphyxia which is caused by smothering,” Oduor said.
“He had a piece of trouser tied around the nose and mouth. He had socks stuffed in his mouth. He had Cyanosis, when you look at his fingernails, they were bluish in colour which shows that he lacked oxygen when he died,”
Oduor said they could not find any other injuries and added that they took more samples to ascertain whether he was possibly drugged before he was murdered.
He also added that Chiloba’s eyes were not gouged out.
Oduor added that it could take three to four months for the complete report based on the sampled materials to be released.
Chiloba’s body was discovered last week in a metal box after being dumped outside of a car.
According to a police affidavit made public by the court in Eldoret, the hometown of Chiloba, it is thought that he passed away in the house he shared with one of the suspects, Jacktone Odhiambo.
Odhiambo and the other four suspects are said to have assisted in moving, loading, and most likely dumping the metallic box containing Chiloba’s remains from the car.
In order to further their investigation, the police said they would detain the five suspects for a further 21 days.
