Two Kenyan men were convicted on Monday for the murder of Ugandan Olympic distance runner Benjamin Kiplagat, who was found fatally stabbed in northwestern Kenya on New Year’s Eve. The Eldoret High Court found Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere guilty of killing the 34-year-old Olympian after a nine-month trial in the Rift Valley town.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi cited CCTV footage that showed the men, aged 30 and 25, pursuing Kiplagat as he drove to his home in Kimumu Estate on December 31, 2023. "The scientific evidence presented during the trial places both of you at the scene of this brutal murder on that night," Nyakundi stated. He emphasized that the evidence against the men was strong, while the defense’s case was too weak to clear them.
Both Khalumi and Ekai denied being present at the crime scene. They were arrested a day after Kiplagat's body was discovered in his car on the outskirts of Eldoret, bearing a severe neck wound. The shocking incident sparked an outpouring of tributes across the country.
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Kiplagat, originally from Kenya, had an 18-year athletic career representing Uganda internationally, excelling in the 3,000m steeplechase at multiple Olympic Games and World Championships. He won a silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships and a bronze at the 2012 African Championships, reaching the semifinals at the 2012 London Olympics and competing again in Rio in 2016.
Ushuru and Ekai are scheduled for sentencing on November 4.
