A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 35 years in prison each for the murder of Ugandan Olympic athlete Benjamin Kiplagat, who was stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve in Eldoret, a renowned training hub for runners.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi, presiding over the High Court in Eldoret, condemned the actions of Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere, describing the murder as a cruel act against a “defenceless person.” According to evidence presented, Khalumi and Lokere followed Kiplagat in his car and, as captured on CCTV, committed the killing in what the judge determined was a premeditated act.
Kiplagat’s murder shocked both the Kenyan and Ugandan communities, adding to a troubling pattern of violence against elite athletes in recent years. The athlete’s mother, in an emotional appeal to the court earlier this week, had requested life sentences for the killers, recounting her son’s journey from running barefoot to becoming an international athlete and family breadwinner.
“My son had 8,000 Kenyan shillings ($62) and an expensive mobile phone, but the killers did not take any of his belongings. Their mission was to painfully end his life,” she told the court, as reported by the Nation newspaper.
Though the family’s plea for life sentences was not granted, they expressed relief and satisfaction with the 35-year sentences, saying that justice had been served.
Kiplagat, aged 34 at his death, was an accomplished steeplechaser who competed in three Olympic Games and held Uganda’s national record in the 3,000m steeplechase.
