Prominent Kenyan LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba was found dead in a gruesome manner on Wednesday, January 4, on a road in Uasin Gishu County, in the west of the country. His body was found stuffed in a metal box. It is reported to have been dumped there by a vehicle with no license plates.A motorcycle taxi operator reported seeing the box being dumped and informed police officers who were manning a nearby roadblock. The motive for the murder is unknown as of yet, but rights organizations in Kenya, where homosexuality is outlawed, are linking it to his sexuality.Chiloba was found dead on Wednesday (Image via Instagram/its_edwinchiloba)A video of Chiloba partying and enjoying time with his friends on New Year's Eve has surfaced on the internet and gone viral as news of his death spreads. In the video, he is seen wearing the same outfit that he was found dead in. When the police found the body, they described it as a man wearing women's clothes.Omwamba 🇰🇪@omwambaKETwitter DCI, Looking at his dress code, looks like this was Edwin Chiloba's last supper. These are the same outfit he was on when the body was found.506130Twitter DCI, Looking at his dress code, looks like this was Edwin Chiloba's last supper. These are the same outfit he was on when the body was found. https://t.co/HA1gnIwjdcNetizens fervently shared this video and images of him wearing iconic outfits to curb the sharing of images of his dead body.Tributes pour in for Edwin Chiloba, activist and fashionistaEdwin Chiloba is a prominent gay rights activist and fashion designer. He was based in the town of Eldoret, where he ran his fashion business, Chiloba Designs, and fought for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in his country.Chiloba, who was in his mid-20s, had moved to Eldoret from the capital, Nairobi, in 2019 to study fashion, as per the BBC. His body was found stuffed in a metal box and discarded on the side of the road. He was last seen on social media partying on New Year's Eve, wearing the same outfit he was found in.According to area village elder Barnabas Cheruiyot, a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) rider spotted a numberless vehicle dropping a metal box along the Kipenyo-Kaptinga road. Police who were manning a nearby roadblock were notified of what had happened and rushed to the scene where they found Edwin Chiloba’s body. He was taken to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, awaiting a post-mortem. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostLGBTQ+ people living in Kenya have often decried discrimination and attacks in a country where relationships between men are illegal. Kenya is largely a conservative society and the president has in the past said that gay rights are a non-issue in the east African country. Homosexuality in Kenya is punishable by 14 years in prison.According to Chiloba's friend and fellow activist, Denis Nzioka, Edwin Chiloba has previously been subject to attacks and assaults due to his activism. Nzioka is among several others who paid tribute to the fashion icon and activist on social media.DENIS NZIOKA@DenisNzioka"So, my movement is for everyone. It's about inclusion. And if I am going to fight what I have been marginalized for, I am going to fight for all marginalized people." Edwin Chiloba, Instagram post, 16/12/22You represented and lived life well, Edwin Chiloba. RIP+1249341"So, my movement is for everyone. It's about inclusion. And if I am going to fight what I have been marginalized for, I am going to fight for all marginalized people." Edwin Chiloba, Instagram post, 16/12/22You represented and lived life well, Edwin Chiloba. RIP+ https://t.co/jmOhmS2YsnSina Source@ChichiKoechPlease stop sharing the pictures of Edwin Kiprotich Chiloba's lifeless body next to the metal box his body had been stuffed in. Remember him for the iconic fashion designer & fun loving person he was.1567370Please stop sharing the pictures of Edwin Kiprotich Chiloba's lifeless body next to the metal box his body had been stuffed in. Remember him for the iconic fashion designer & fun loving person he was. https://t.co/s4ciMTqd5QShailja Patel@shailjapatelAs grief, fear, rage, over the murder of #EdwinChiloba flood my TL, a reminder. Women and queers deserve to live in peace and freedom in our own countries. In the societies where we were born. In Kenya. Across Africa. Everywhere. What will it take to make it so?1As grief, fear, rage, over the murder of #EdwinChiloba flood my TL, a reminder. Women and queers deserve to live in peace and freedom in our own countries. In the societies where we were born. In Kenya. Across Africa. Everywhere. What will it take to make it so?#PROTECTQUEERKENYANS@JoyceSabaliDidn't sleep much last night. Kept thinking about Edwin Chiloba. Their final moments, their family, their friends. Then all the memories of the murdered queer Kenyans came back. This cant be life, honestly. I'm just tired.274Didn't sleep much last night. Kept thinking about Edwin Chiloba. Their final moments, their family, their friends. Then all the memories of the murdered queer Kenyans came back. This cant be life, honestly. I'm just tired.Mugambi Nandi@MugambiNandiI did not know Edwin Chiloba but I am shocked and saddened by his painful death. May his soul rest in peace. I hope his killers will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law. Live and Let Live! 🏳️‍407I did not know Edwin Chiloba but I am shocked and saddened by his painful death. May his soul rest in peace. I hope his killers will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law. Live and Let Live! 🏳️‍🌈kevin mwachiro@kevmwachiroOur community is in mourning and yet your homophobia is relentless. Even our tears are not safe from your hate. #EdwinChiloba30193Our community is in mourning and yet your homophobia is relentless. Even our tears are not safe from your hate. #EdwinChilobaDr. Catherine Kyobutungi@CKyobutungiEdwin Chiloba's death is heartbreaking . This is someone who lived his life unapologetically, in colour and style. The brutality and indignity of his death make it even more . To see such a beautiful soul, brutalized is very painful. #Loveislove#RestInPower17955Edwin Chiloba's death is heartbreaking 💔💔💔💔. This is someone who lived his life unapologetically, in colour and style. The brutality and indignity of his death make it even more 💔💔. To see such a beautiful soul, brutalized is very painful. #Loveislove#RestInPowerABU MARIAM™@MtaitaMkaumaThe world can really be an ugly place. There was a time even lefthanded kids were beaten senseless to make them write with their right hands. A world where the majority makes the rules and you must conform by all means necessary. This is what has killed Edwin Chiloba.184The world can really be an ugly place. There was a time even lefthanded kids were beaten senseless to make them write with their right hands. A world where the majority makes the rules and you must conform by all means necessary. This is what has killed Edwin Chiloba.captain CHARISMA 🇰🇪@luhyaheatEdwin Chiloba 🕯️We are so cruel to those who we deem different to us 256Edwin Chiloba 🕯️We are so cruel to those who we deem different to us 😔Edwin Chiloba's family has positively identified his body at the Moi Referral Hospital morgue in Eldoret, and his sister confirmed that she was with him during the New Year's celebrations until they said goodbye and parted ways at around 1 am No other information regarding his death was released.A number of LGBTQ+ rights activists have been murdered in Kenya in the last few years. Sheila Lumumba, a non-binary lesbian, was killed last year, while trans activist Erica Chandra and LGBTQ+ activist Joash Mosoti were killed in 2021.