Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei tragically passes away due to domestic violence
Rebecca Cheptegei recently competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and she sadly passed away after she was set on fire by her partner.
Marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei from Uganda died on Thursday after her boyfriend attacked her by setting her on fire, which led to severe burns. Ugandan Athletics Federation on Thursday confirmed her passing on X. Thirty-three-year-old Cheptegei had lived in Kenya. She suffered 75 percent burns following the attack at her home in Trans Nzoia County and was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. IOC President Thomas Bach issued a statement regarding her presence at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the women's marathon, as a source of "inspiration, pride, and joy."
According to the police, her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, attacked her following an argument over a piece of land and set her on fire. Ndiema is also receiving treatment for burns. Rebecca Cheptegei's parents were inconsolable with grief, and her father blamed the authorities for not taking action despite prior reports of domestic violence.
«I blame her death on negligence by the government because the authorities should have taken it seriously when we first reported that this man [Ndiema] had become problematic and he was fighting her. We reported to the police, to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations but they didn't take any action to save her life,» he told journalists.
This tragedy comes after the murders of two other female athletes in Kenya: Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Damaris Mutua in 2022. The Kenyan Sports Minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, described the death of Rebecca Cheptegei as a big loss not only to Uganda but also to the athletic fraternity in the region. He added that there was a need to fight gender-based violence in society. Amnesty International Kenya reiterated this, saying that little is being done to address femicide.
The Kenyan police are probing the death of Rebecca Cheptegei, with more details likely to come out very shortly.
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