Kenya court jails Olympian Kiplagat’s killers for 35 years

A Kenyan court on Tuesday sentenced two men to 35 years in prison for murdering Ugandan Olympic athlete Benjamin Kiplagat last year.

After a nine-month trial, the High Court in the northwestern city of Eldoret last week found Peter Ushuru Khalumi, 30, and David Ekai Lokere, 25, guilty of stabbing the 34-year-old steeplechaser to death.

In his ruling on Tuesday, judge Reuben Nyakundi said overwhelming evidence from CCTV cameras showed the pair “intentionally killed” the athlete, adding that they had not shown any remorse for the “premeditated crime” and deserved a harsh sentence.

“Your actions were cruel to a defenceless person whose life you cut short contrary to God’s plan, where God intended man to live for a minimum of 70 years,” Nyakundi said, announcing the 35-year sentence for each defendant.

The judge rejected a plea from Kiplagat’s mother Elizabeth Chemweno and his two brothers who wanted Khalumi and Lokere to be given life sentences.

The pair were arrested a day after the athlete’s body was found in his car on the outskirts of Eldoret on New Year’s Eve with a deep wound to his neck.

The killing shocked the country — a powerhouse for long-distance running — and prompted a flood of tributes.

During a career spanning almost two decades, the Kenya-born Kiplagat had represented Uganda internationally in the 3,000m steeplechase, including at several Olympic Games and World Championships.

He won the silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2008 World Junior Championships and bronze at the African Championships in 2012.

He made the semifinals of the event at the 2012 Olympics in London and also competed in Rio in 2016. In 2007, he shaved more than eight seconds off the Ugandan national 3,000m steeplechase record set in 1977.

Kenya has witnessed a number of deaths and killings of prominent athletes in recent years.