A Kenyan court has found two men guilty of the murder of Ugandan Olympian Benjamin Kiplagat, who was fatally stabbed in north-west Kenya on New Year’s Eve. The Eldoret High Court convicted Peter Ushuru Khalumi, 30, and David Ekai Lokere, 25, following a nine-month trial in the Rift Valley.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi, presiding over the case, stated that CCTV footage captured the men chasing the 34-year-old distance runner as he drove towards his home in Kimumu Estate on 31 December 2023. “Scientific evidence that was produced before the court during the trial shows the two of you at the scene of the brutal murder on the night of December 31, 2023,” Nyakundi said, dismissing the defence’s case as insufficient to prove their innocence.
Kiplagat’s body was found with a fatal neck wound in his car just outside Eldoret, a discovery that shocked the nation and brought in an outpouring of tributes for the athlete. Both men denied involvement, but they were apprehended the day after the murder.
Born in Kenya but competing for Uganda, Kiplagat was a celebrated athlete in the 3,000m steeplechase, representing Uganda in several Olympic Games and World Championships. His career highlights include a silver at the 2008 World Junior Championships and a bronze at the 2012 African Championships.
The two convicts are set to be sentenced on November 4.