UN rights chief 'shaken' by Kenya LGBTQ activist's murder

The United Nations' rights chief voiced alarm Saturday at the grisly murder of LGBTQ rights campaigner Edwin Chiloba in Kenya, calling for more protection of such activists worldwide.

"Shaken by the murder of human rights advocate #EdwinChiloba," Volker Turk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a tweet, adding that his death "fills me with deep sadness."

"Standing in solidarity with #LGBTQI+ activists around the world," he said, insisting on an "urgent need to redouble efforts for their protection."

Edwin Chiloba, a 25-year-old fashion designer and model, was found dead by the roadside this week about 40 kilometres (25 miles) outside the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, media reports said. 

His body, bearing signs of torture, had been stuffed inside a metal trunk.

Kenyan police said Friday that they had arrested a suspect in the murder, who was believed to have been a longtime friend of the victim.

"He died a painful death," an unidentified police officer based in Eldoret told the media. "They must have tortured him and then gouged out his eye. It appears he was strangled."

Members of Kenya's LGBTQ community often face harassment and physical attacks in the predominantly conservative Christian nation.

Homosexuality is taboo in Kenya and across much of Africa, and gays often face discrimination or persecution.

Attempts to overturn British colonial-era laws banning homosexuality in Kenya have proved unsuccessful, and gay sex remains a crime with penalties that include imprisonment of up to 14 years.

Chiloba's death comes after another Kenyan LGBTQ activist was found murdered in April last year.