The case shocked the world. Ugandan long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei died on Thursday from severe burns. Her boyfriend had poured petrol on her and set her on fire.
Rebecca Cheptegei had just returned home from perhaps the greatest highlight of her career. In August, she had taken part in the Olympic Games in Paris for her native Uganda, running the marathon and finishing in 44th place. Less than a month later, she died, murdered, presumably by her partner.
On Sunday, neighbors found the athlete with severe burns at her home in Kenya’s Trans-Nzoia County and took her to a hospital. She was placed in intensive care with 75 percent of her body burned. She succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.
Friend allegedly poured gasoline on Cheptegei and set him on fire
Investigations so far have shown that her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, sneaked into the house in Endebess while Cheptegei was at church with her two children. When she returned, he poured petrol on her and set her on fire. He was also injured. Authorities have not yet said whether the two children were injured.
According to witnesses, Cheptegei and her partner had been arguing over the property. “The couple were heard arguing. During the argument, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before setting her on fire,” the local police chief told the BBC. Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought the property to be closer to the best training venues in Kenya.
Rebecca Cheptegei was from Uganda and trained in Kenya
Many long-distance runners live and train in Kenya, which is known in the scene as the “Home of the Champions”. This includes Cheptegei, who comes from Uganda but trained in Kenya.
The 33-year-old was one of the best marathon runners in the world. She qualified for the Paris Games at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Marathon, when she ran a personal best of two hours, 22 minutes and 47 seconds. In the same year, she won a gold medal at the Mountain and Trail Running World Championships in Chiang Mai (Thailand). In 2023, she finished 14th at the World Championships in Budapest.
“We have learned of the sad death of our Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei following a vicious attack by her boyfriend. May her gentle soul rest in peace, we strongly condemn violence against women. This was a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great sportswoman. Her legacy will live on,” Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare said on X.
Violence against women is widespread in Kenya
Cheptegei is not the only athlete to be killed in Kenya in recent years. In 2021, Kenyan runner and world record holder Agnes Jebet Tirop was stabbed to death. At the time, her husband was under suspicion. Just one year later, Damaris Muthee Mutua was found strangled in Iten, the Kenyan runner’s paradise.
Violence against women is widespread in Kenya: according to official statistics, one in three women aged 15 and over has experienced physical violence. Married women are particularly at risk: according to the Kenyan Statistics Office, 41 percent of married women and 20 percent of unmarried women have been victims of violence. Debates and protests about femicides are a constant. Just in January of this year, thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Nairobi in response to several gruesome murders.
Source: Stern
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