Benjamin Kiplagat: Kenyan-Born Ugandan Athlete Found Dead In Eldoret

• Police launched investigations into the murder of long-distance runner Benjamin Kiplagat, who was found dead in Eldoret
• Moiben Sub-County Police Commander Stephen Okal said the body was found with deep knife cuts on the neck on the outskirts of Eldoret town
• Okal said the 37-year-old world silver medallist in the 3,000 steeplechase was allegedly murdered in his brother's car

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Uasin Gishu: The East African athletics community has been thrown into another mourning following the death of a Ugandan runner in Eldoret, Kenya.

Moiben Sub-County Police Commander Stephen Okal said a team of officers had been dispatched to investigate the alleged murder of Kenyan-born Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat.

What happened to Benjamin Kiplagat?

Okal confirmed that Kiplagat's body was found with a deep knife cut on the neck inside his brother's car in Texas, near Kimumu Secondary School along Eldoret-Iten Road.

"Our officers are on the ground following crucial leads," he informed the media.

He was allegedly murdered on Saturday night, December 30.

According to NTV, Kiplagat, 37, who was the 2008 World Junior Silver medalist in the 3000m steeplechase, has represented Kenya in various Olympics and World Championships events.

Throughout his 17-year career, he achieved numerous accolades, including a silver medal at the World Under-20 Championships, a bronze medal at the African Championships, and a Top 8 ranking in both the Commonwealth Games and the All-African Games.

Agnes Tirop found dead

In 2021, Olympian Agnes Tirop was found dead in a pool of blood with stab wounds on the neck at their Iten home.

Reports indicated that the world record owner was also hit by a blunt object on the head.

"Generally, the examination has shown injuries due to blunt post-trauma. The stabs were to the neck and the blunt trauma was to the head,” said Dorothy Njeru, the government's pathologist.

While testifying at Eldoret High Court, a witness, John Samoei, said that the athlete was killed due to ex-marital affairs that arose in her relationship with Ibrahim Rotich, the main suspect.

According to him, Rotich had disclosed to him that Tirop was in another relationship with an officer from the Kenya Defence Force (KDF).