The funeral plans for Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei have been revised due to the condition of her body, which sustained over 80% burns.
Her father, Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, announced that the body will now be removed from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue on Friday instead of Thursday, as initially planned.
“We changed the schedule because the body cannot remain out of the morgue for two days before burial,” Mzee Cheptegei explained.
Originally, the family planned a night vigil in Trans Nzoia, but that has been canceled. Instead, the body will be transported directly to Uganda via Endebes.
Mzee Cheptegei, along with other family members and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), was present at the morgue in Eldoret, where a postmortem is set to take place today. The hospital’s CEO, Dr. Phillip Kirwa, is expected to issue a statement following the examination.
After being removed from the morgue on Friday morning, Cheptegei’s body will briefly remain at her home in Endebes before being taken to Bukwo, Uganda, where she will be buried on Saturday. The journey from Endebes to Bukwo is expected to take around two hours by road.
Rebecca Cheptegei, who served in the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), will be given a military burial. Family members, including her sister Sarah Cheptegei and cousin Michael Arap Tumbo, are also present at the morgue.
