The High Court in Eldoret on Tuesday sentenced David Lokere and Peter Khalumi to 35 years imprisonment for the murder of Kenyan-born Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat. The crime was committed in December 2023.
The 3,000-metre steeplechase athlete’s body was found with knife wounds on his neck on December 31 at his residence in the Kimumu Estate of Eldoret City.
The two suspects were easily apprehended the following day, New Year's Day 2024, and a quick arrest was effected after CCTV footage placed both Lokere and Khalumi at the crime scene.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi found the two guilty on Monday, October 28, citing that there was sufficient scientific evidence alongside clear CCTV footage that cemented their guilt in the horrific murder.
When delivering his verdict, Justice Nyakundi found that a 35-year sentence for each of the perpetrators was sufficient even though Kiplagat’s family had advocated for a life sentence against the two.
Justice Nyakundi told the two that a CCTV footage showing them chasing Kiplagat as he drove a pick-up truck from Iten towards his home in Kimumu sealed their fate.
“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 ruled.
The family, led by the victim’s brother Vincent Chemweno, ultimately expressed satisfaction with the ruling noting that it was appropriate given the circumstances.
As expected, the two have up to 14 days to file for an appeal.
The duo had, at the beginning of the trial, denied the charges, initially distancing themselves from the crime scene with Kalumi telling the court that he had been enjoying himself at a club in Eldoret at the time of the murder and that unknown people had committed the murder.
He also told the court that he had been physically assaulted by the police, who allegedly forcefully took his mobile banking details after confiscating his phone, when they raided his home.
Lokere, on the other hand, argued that he had been transporting a customer via motorbike towards Kimumu when he pulled a weapon on him and stole his motorbike. He then hailed another motorbike to take him back to his home in Langas.