A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 35 years in prison each for the murder of Ugandan Olympic athlete Benjamin Kiplagat, who was killed on New Year’s Eve in Eldoret, a town known for being a key training hub for Kenyan athletes.
Kiplagat, a prominent steeplechaser, was fatally stabbed on December 31, 2023. During the sentencing hearing at the High Court in Eldoret, Justice Reuben Nyakundi addressed the convicted men, Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere, calling their actions “cruel” and highlighting the defencelessness of the victim. “Your actions were cruel to a defenceless person whose life you cut short,” Justice Nyakundi said.
The murder of Kiplagat, 34, shocked the Kenyan public, particularly given the string of high-profile killings of elite athletes in recent years. The judge outlined how Khalumi and Lokere had followed Kiplagat’s car and then, according to CCTV footage, carried out the murder in a premeditated act. While the exact motive for the attack was unclear, police initially suggested that robbery may have been the motive. However, Kiplagat’s family disputed this, pointing out that the attackers did not take his valuables.
In a tearful plea to the court, Kiplagat’s mother had urged the judge to impose life sentences on the convicted men, describing the pain of losing her son, who had risen from humble beginnings to become an international athlete and the family’s breadwinner. “My son had 8,000 Kenyan shillings ($62; £48) and an expensive mobile phone, but the killers did not take any of the property from him. Their mission was to painfully finish him,” she told the court, as reported by The Nation newspaper.
Although the court did not grant the family’s request for life sentences, they expressed satisfaction with the outcome, noting that justice had been served.
Benjamin Kiplagat was a seasoned athlete who had represented Uganda in the 3,000m steeplechase at three consecutive Olympic Games. He reached the final of the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and held the Ugandan national record for the steeplechase. His death has left a profound impact on the Ugandan athletics community and his supporters in Kenya and beyond.
