Two men from Kenya have been convicted of murdering Ugandan Olympic distance runner Benjamin Kiplagat, who was discovered stabbed to death in the north-west region of the East African country on New Year’s Eve.
Following a nine-month trial in the Rift Valley town, Eldoret High Court found Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere guilty of killing the 34-year-old Olympian.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi indicated that surveillance footage captured the two men – aged 30 and 25, as reported by the court – pursuing the athlete as he drove towards his home in Kimumu Estate on December 31 of the previous year.
“The scientific evidence presented during the trial indicates that both of you were present at the scene of the brutal murder on the night of December 31, 2023,” stated Judge Nyakundi.
Both defendants claimed they were not at the crime scene.
They were apprehended a day after the athlete’s body, bearing a severe wound to his neck, was discovered inside his car on the outskirts of Eldoret, in a case that sent shockwaves through the country and led to an outpouring of tributes.
Throughout his 18-year career, the Kenyan-born Kiplagat represented Uganda on the international stage in the 3,000m steeplechase, competing in several Olympic Games and World Championships.
He secured a silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2008 World Junior Championships and a bronze at the Africa Championships in 2012.
Kiplagat reached the semi-finals of his event at the 2012 Olympics in London and also participated in the Rio Games in 2016.
Ushuru and Ekai are scheduled to receive their sentences on November 4.
