Ugandans gathered on Saturday to pay tribute to Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who tragically died after her partner set her on fire in Kenya. The memorial took place in her family village ahead of her funeral.
Cheptegei, 33, who made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics this summer, passed away last week due to severe burns inflicted by Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Marangach. Her death has shocked the East African region and sparked a global outcry, with activists condemning the incident as yet another act of gender-based violence in Kenya.
In the village of Bukwo, located around 380 kilometers northeast of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, residents, officials, and family members gathered in the early morning to pay their respects. “We are extremely saddened,” said her estranged husband, Simon Ayeko, with whom Cheptegei had two daughters. Ayeko admitted that he had not yet been able to break the news to their children, stating, “Slowly we will tell them the truth.”
The service to honor Cheptegei, a sergeant in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, began at around 10 a.m. at the local council office, with officials and relatives in attendance. Bessie Modest Ajilong, the local presidential representative, described Cheptegei as a “heroine.” Organizers announced that her body would be moved from the local council headquarters to a nearby sports stadium to allow the public to pay their respects before her formal burial at around 3 p.m.
Numerous athletes traveled to the small village to participate in the ceremonies. “She greatly contributed to the promotion of athletics until her last days,” said Alex Malinga, who coached Cheptegei during her teenage years.
Local media reported that Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the attack. According to the police, Marangach had snuck into her home while she was at church with her children. The family said the couple had been arguing over the ownership of the property where Cheptegei lived with her sister, Dorcas Cherop, and her daughters. Marangach later died from injuries he sustained during the assault.
Cheptegei’s brother-in-law, Moses Kipsiro, said, “I think at that time, their relationship had become sour.” Kipsiro, who had previously trained with Cheptegei and also comes from Bukwo, added, “I didn’t know then something was wrong.”
The brutal attack has drawn attention to what activists describe as a femicide epidemic. In Kenya, there were 725 reported femicide cases in 2022, according to the latest UN data. A report by Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics found that 34% of women in the country had experienced physical violence since the age of 15. Tragically, at least two other athletes, Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua, have also lost their lives in domestic violence incidents since 2021.
