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Two men have been found guilty by the Eldoret High Court for the murder of Ugandan steeplechase athlete Benjamin Kiplagat, with CCTV and forensic evidence linking them to the crime.
Two men have pleaded guilty in a high-profile murder case involving renowned Kenyan-born Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat who was killed on New Year’s Eve, 2023.
The Eldoret High Court on Monday found Peter Ushuru, 30, and David Ekai, 25, guilty of the 3,000-meter steeplechase star’s murder, citing strong scientific evidence and CCTV footage that placed them at the crime scene.
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The ruling by Justice Reuben Nyakundi followed months of trial, where prosecution presented forensic and video evidence linking the accused to the murder, which took place in the Kimumu Estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town.
The footage reportedly showed Ekai riding a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) with Ushuru as his passenger, in a premeditated plot that ended with Kiplagat’s death.
“Scientific evidence that was produced before my court during the trial places the two of you at the scene of the brutal murder on the night of December 31, 2023, at Kimumu Estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town,” Justice Nyakundi stated as per Nation.
The footage, coupled with forensic evidence, pointed to the pair as the key perpetrators in the assault that left the 32-year-old athlete dead.
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According to the court, the CCTV footage showed the two men pursuing Kiplagat as he drove a pickup truck toward his home along the Eldoret-Iten highway.
The video allegedly captured Ushuru brandishing a knife while Ekai watched from the motorbike, reinforcing the court's belief that the two men coordinated the attack.
The footage was critical to the prosecution's case, which pieced together the events that led to Kiplagat's untimely death.
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Despite the damning evidence, both Ushuru and Ekai denied involvement, asserting alibis and claiming innocence throughout the trial. Ushuru, represented by lawyer Mathai Maina, argued that he was at a nightclub in Eldoret town on the night of the murder.
“I was enjoying a good time at a night club in Eldoret town on the night the said athlete was waylaid and killed by some people whom I do not know,” Ushuru testified.
He claimed police unfairly targeted him, raiding his home, assaulting him, and seizing his phone and M-Pesa transaction records, which he says do not connect him to the crime.
Ekai, for his part, told the court that he was working as a boda boda rider in Eldoret that night.
In his defense, Ekai stated that he encountered a mysterious passenger who directed him to Kimumu Estate and ultimately turned on him.
“I met a customer in Eldoret town who asked if I could take him to Kimumu Estate and I agreed on the condition that he pay me Sh300 for the journey to his house,” Ekai explained, describing how he was coerced by the passenger.
He said that upon reaching their destination, the man demanded his motorbike at knifepoint, leaving him stranded and defenseless.
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Ekai further told the court that after the encounter, he boarded another motorcycle to reach his home in Langas Estate, where police later apprehended him.
Ekai’s lawyer, George Sonkule, argued that the lack of physical evidence tying Ekai directly to the crime scene called for reasonable doubt. However, the court ruled that the combination of CCTV footage and forensic evidence was irrefutable.
Justice Nyakundi’s judgment highlighted the premeditated nature of the crime, noting that the scientific evidence, coupled with video footage, painted a clear narrative of the pair’s involvement.
“The scientific evidence and the CCTV footage demonstrate a concerted plan carried out by the two of you with intent to kill the athlete,” he stated in his closing remarks.
The ruling has drawn attention in both Kenya and Uganda, where Kiplagat was regarded as a top athlete with a promising career.
Kiplagat, a former steeplechase champion, was known for his discipline and dedication, qualities that friends and family believe made him a target for criminals.
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Sentencing for Ushuru and Ekai has been scheduled for November 4 with both facing the possibility of life imprisonment.
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