A Kenyan court has sentenced two men, including a boda boda rider, to 35 years in prison for the murder of Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat
The ruling was made by Eldoret High Court Judge Justice Reuben Nyakundi, who found that the prosecution, led by State Counsel Mark Mogun, had presented overwhelming evidence against Peter Eshuru and David Ekai.
Kiplagat, a 34-year-old Kenyan-born athlete, was tragically murdered on December 31, 2023. His body was later discovered in an abandoned vehicle on the outskirts of Eldoret town.
According to Justice Nyakundi, the evidence presented in court, including circumstantial and scientific proof, demonstrated that Eshuru, 30, and Ekai, 25, had meticulously planned the murder. The duo had clear intentions of killing the 3,000m steeplechase runner.
CCTV footage showed the two men following Kiplagat to his home in Kimumu Estate, where they attacked him and left his body in the vehicle. Despite the damning evidence, including footage showing them stabbing Kiplagat in the chest, Eshuru and Ekai showed no remorse, defending their actions in court.
In his sentencing, Justice Nyakundi acknowledged the grief of Kiplagat’s family, including his mother, Elizabeth Chemweno, and his two brothers. He stated that while no punishment could bring Kiplagat back, the conviction offered a sense of justice for his family.
Chemweno, in her emotional testimony, described how her life had been devastated by the loss of her son. She spoke of Kiplagat’s dedication and hard work to become an international athlete, lifting the family’s status and providing financial support to his siblings and their families.
Kiplagat’s brothers, Vincent Kibet and David Changwonyi, requested the court to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment on the accused, in light of the brutal nature of the crime.
