The office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution has given police Inspector General Japhet Koome seven days to forward the murder inquiry file of slain world-renowned athlete Benjamin Kiplagat.
Moiben Police Commander Stephen Okal said the body of the athlete was found in a car near Kimumu Secondary School along the Eldoret-Iten road.
The 34-year-old steeplechase runner was stabbed in his brother’s car, and two suspects were arrested with the aid of CCT footage. The two male suspects were arraigned in court on Tuesday before Eldoret Chief Magistrate Kesse Cherono.
The court directed that both David Lokere and Peter Khalumi be held at Eldoret Central police station for 21 days as the police undertake investigations.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) now wants the murder file forwarded to him so as to issue appropriate directives regarding the matter in accordance with the law. He seeks to review the facts and evidence presented before issuing a decision on whether to charge the suspects linked to the murder of Kiplagat.
According to police, Kiplagat was murdered in Eldoret while heading to his home, where the killer suspects were captured on CCTV in the Saturday night ordeal. Police reports indicated that Kiplagat’s throat was cut, and a knife suspected of being used was found on one of the suspects.
Kiplagat competed in three Olympic games and six world championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, where he won a bronze medal at the 2012 African Championships. He represented Uganda in six World Athletics Championships and at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics.
