High Court Finds Two Men Guilty of Murdering Ugandan Athlete Benjamin Kiplagat in Eldoret

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“Scientific evidence presented in court places both of you at the scene of this brutal murder,” stated the judge.

Peter Khaluma and David Lokere, primary suspects in the homicide case of international athlete Edward Kiplagat, will be held in police custody for a duration of 21 days.

The High Court in Eldoret has found two men, including a boda boda rider, guilty of murdering renowned Kenyan-born Ugandan 3,000-metre steeplechase athlete Benjamin Kiplagat. Justice Reuben Nyakundi ruled that scientific evidence firmly linked Peter Ushuru, 30, and David Ekai, 25, to Kiplagat’s killing on the night of December 31, 2023.

In his judgment, Justice Nyakundi highlighted that CCTV footage captured Ushuru and Ekai chasing the athlete, who was driving a pickup truck on his way home in Kimumu Estate along the Eldoret-Iten highway. “Scientific evidence presented in court places both of you at the scene of this brutal murder,” stated the judge. “The CCTV footage shows one of you standing by as the other brandished a knife, cornering the deceased just meters from the gate of his residence.”

The defense had argued that neither man was at the scene that night. However, Justice Nyakundi dismissed these claims as “mere stories,” emphasizing that the evidence presented was irrefutable. Sentencing for the convicts is scheduled for November 4.

During the trial, both men attempted to defend themselves, with Ushuru insisting he was at a night club in Eldoret when the murder occurred. “I was enjoying my time at a club that night,” Ushuru testified. “I had no involvement in the athlete’s death.”

Ushuru further alleged that a team of plainclothes officers had forcibly entered his house while he was asleep, demanding his mobile phone and M-Pesa PIN. “One officer struck me on the head, calling me a murderer in front of his colleagues,” he recounted.

Ekai, the boda boda rider, claimed he was on his usual night shift, ferrying customers across Eldoret. He alleged that he was himself a victim of robbery that night. “A passenger asked me to take him to Kimumu Estate for Ksh 300. During the ride, he suddenly turned on me with a knife and took my motorbike,” Ekai testified. He said he managed to return home in Langas using another boda boda, only to be arrested later that night.

Both defendants were represented by attorneys Mathai Maina and George Songule, while the prosecution, led by Mark Mugun, argued that the evidence presented—particularly the CCTV footage—left no doubt as to their involvement in the crime.

Kiplagat, the 2008 World Junior Championships silver medallist, was tragically killed on New Year’s Eve while en route to his home in Kimumu Estate. The conviction closes a significant chapter in the investigation into the athlete’s death, yet the sentencing will determine the final legal outcome for the two men found guilty of his murder.

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