Julius Kariuki (born June 12, 1961) is the winner of the 3,000 m steeplechase at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Born in Nyahururu, Kenya, Kariuki's athletic career started slowly.

The following year, Kariuki won the steeplechase at the African Championships in Athletics, and then followed that up with a victory in a slow race at the IAAF World Cup.

In 1990, he won gold easily at the Commonwealth Games and finished fourth at the following year's World Championships.

Kariuki remained one of the world's top steeplechasers for several more years after that, but the dominance of Kenyan talent was so great, that he was never able again to gain representation on the national team to a major international championship.