Uganda will bid farewell to Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei on Saturday, after her tragic death earlier this month from an attack by her partner, in a harrowing case of gender-based violence.
Cheptegei, 33, who made her debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics this summer, succumbed to severe burns after being set on fire by Dickson Ndiema Marangach.
The brutal attack, which shocked the East African region, has sparked a global outcry and reignited calls to address gender-based violence. Cheptegei’s death has led to a wave of tributes from activists, athletes, and the wider community, denouncing the persistent violence against women.
On Friday, the athlete’s body was transported across the Kenya-Uganda border in preparation for her burial in her hometown of Bukwo, located 380 kilometers northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Heavy rain fell as mourners gathered for her final journey.
“We are deeply saddened,” said Simon Ayeko, Cheptegei’s estranged husband, with whom she had two daughters. He expressed the difficulty he faced in sharing the heartbreaking news with their children.
Cheptegei, who served as a sergeant in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, will be laid to rest with full military honors. Beatrice Ayikoru, the secretary-general of Uganda’s Olympics Committee and a member of the burial committee, confirmed that the funeral will begin at 10:00 am (0700 GMT), with many fellow athletes traveling to Bukwo to pay their respects.
“She played a significant role in promoting athletics, even up to her last days,” recalled her coach, Alex Malinga, who began training her in her teenage years.
Local reports indicate that Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the horrifying attack. According to police, Marangach had sneaked into her home while she was at church with her children. Family members revealed that a dispute over the ownership of her property had escalated between Cheptegei and Marangach, contributing to the fatal incident. Marangach later died from injuries sustained during the assault.
Cheptegei’s tragic death shines a glaring light on what activists have described as a growing femicide crisis in the region. In 2022, Kenya alone reported 725 femicide cases, according to UN statistics, while 34 percent of Kenyan women have reported experiencing physical violence since the age of 15, based on data from Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics.
The deaths of athletes Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua in domestic violence incidents since 2021 further underscore the urgency of addressing the epidemic of violence against women in East Africa.
