Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies days after partner sets her on fire; authorities highlight pattern of ‘gender-based violence’

Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died Thursday, four days after Kenyan police said her boyfriend set her on fire, a tragedy Kenyan sports officials cited as part of a worrying trend in the East African region.

Cheptegei, who competed a few weeks ago as a long-distance runner in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, died after her organs failed in a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated for burns that covered most of her body.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing away of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, early this morning, who was a tragic victim of domestic violence,” the Uganda Athletics Federation confirmed in a post on X on Thursday morning. “As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest in peace.”

Kenyan authorities have described the death of Cheptegei, the third Ugandan athlete to die from intimate partner violence since 2021, as “a stark reminder” to “combat gender-based violence in our society.”

A brutal attack

According to police in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya, Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrycan of petrol on Sunday, poured it on her and set her on fire during a domestic dispute. A local chief also filed a report alleging that they were heard fighting over the property where she built her house.

Reuters reported that her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told local media that the land had caused problems and called on the Kenyan government to protect his home and children.

Police said Ndiema attacked her as she was returning home from church with her two daughters.

Cheptegei arrived at Moi University and Referral Hospital fully sedated and with burns to 80 percent of her body. Hospital spokesman Owen Menach confirmed Cheptegei’s death on Thursday.

Ndiema was also burned in the attack and was treated at the same hospital.

The Olympian’s father said Ndiema is still at large and could flee. Kenyan police are investigating the incident.

Rebecca Cheptegei remembered as an athlete and a “gentle” daughter

The 33-year-old Olympian and mother of two was born and raised in Cheminy, Uganda. However, she trained in Trans-Nzoia County in western Kenya, according to Kenyan newspaper Standard. The newspaper reported that she had bought land and built a house in Kinyoro, Kenya, to be close to the country’s training facilities and reduce living costs.

Cheptegei began her track career in 2010, competing in half and full marathons, winning the 1,500-meter race at the München Pfingstmeeting in Munich and the 10,000-meter race at the Uganda Championships in Kampala, Uganda, according to Kenyan newspaper Tuko.

In 2011 and 2013, she represented Uganda at the respective World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbría, Spain, and Bydgoszcz, Poland.

He also won the Padua Marathon in Italy and the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2022, according to the BBC.

Cheptegei finished 44th at the Paris Olympics.

Cheptegei had also been an officer in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

Ugandan athlete James Kirwa told the BBC that Cheptegei was like an older sister to him and “was a very kind person. (She) helped us all, even financially, and brought me trainers when she came back from the Olympics.”

According to the Associated Press, her father told reporters at the hospital that his daughter was “very supportive” and hoped to get justice.

Worrying statistics on gender-based violence plague Uganda and Kenya

Cheptegei’s death highlights the prevalence of gender-based violence against women in Uganda and Kenya.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, almost all women (95%) have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or a non-partner since the age of 15.

About one-third (34%) of Kenyan girls and women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to combat gender-based violence in our society, which in recent years has reared its ugly head in elite sporting circles,” Kenya’s Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen wrote in a statement, adding that he would seek justice for Cheptegei.