NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 11 – A news update presented as being from an online news outlet suggesting that President William Ruto had authorized the murder of persons identifying as gay is fake.
The claim was circulated on January 9, 2022, by Emmanuel Chelugui Melly whose facebook account has a following of over 5,000 users.
It came hot on the heels of a continuing investigation on the murder of a fashion model and LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba, whose body was found stashed in a metal box abandoned by the roadside in Kapseret near Eldoret.
Subsequently police arrested Chiloba’s male companion identified as Jacktone Odhiambo with whom the victim is reported to have had an affair, identifying him as the prime suspect.
Odhiambo is reported to have been seen in the company of the victim and was spotted by witnesses carrying a metal box similar to the one recovered at the crime scene.
An assessment of Melly’s post revealed that it had not been shared by the media outlet he purported it originated from.
Although familiar with Kenyans.co.ke’s news graphics, the alert was not shared on any of its news pages including on Twitter and Facebook.
Further, neither President Ruto nor the State House has issued a statement on Chiloba’s case.
The police had earlier responded to concerns from civil rights groups with an assurance those behind the murder would be prosecuted in line with the law.
The public prosecutor has since presented five suspects in court including Odhiambo. Two of the suspects are minors linked to Odhiambo’s accomplices.
The government pathologist also issued a report identifying suffocation as the cause of death.
The claim Ruto has authorized the killing of gay people is therefore untrue.
