Body of Ugandan Olympic athlete set on fire by her partner is received by family

NAIROBI, Kenya — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya, was received by her family and anti-femicide activists on Friday ahead of her funeral a day later.

Cheptegei’s family on Friday met dozens of activists who marched to the mortuary of the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the western town of Eldoret, chanting slogans against femicide.

She is the fourth female athlete to be murdered by her partner in a case of gender-based violence in Kenya in recent years.

Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels, an organisation founded in honour of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders must ensure this is the last time an athlete dies as a result of gender-based violence.

“We are here to say enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters because of GBV,” she said.

There was a somber mood in the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body, which had suffered 80 percent burns after being doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema suffered burns to 30 percent of his body and later died.

According to a report by the local leader, Ndiema and Cheptegei allegedly had a dispute over a piece of land the athlete had bought in Kenya.

Cheptegei had competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack, finishing in 44th place.

Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before being taken to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a wake and burial on Saturday.

“We are in the final stages of paying our last respects to my daughter,” said a visibly distraught Joseph.

He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and that the family had informed police.

The high level of violence against women in Kenya has led to marches by ordinary citizens in villages and towns this year.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, four in 10 women, or an estimated 41% of Kenyan women who are in a relationship or married, have experienced physical or sexual violence by their current or most recent partner.