Rebecca Cheptegei’s Funeral Procession Begins In Kenya Amid Calls for End to Gender-Based Violence
By The Public Lens
The body of murdered Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei has begun its journey home to Uganda, accompanied by activists demanding an end to gender-based violence in Kenya.
Cheptegei succumbed to her wounds on September 5 after being attacked by her Kenyan partner, who poured petrol over her and set her on fire.
The attack occurred just weeks after she made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon in Paris, where she finished 44th.
Her funeral is planned for Saturday in Bukwo, home to her family in Uganda, but relatives in Kenya paid their respects on Friday in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret.
Cheptegei is the third athlete to have died in Kenya as a result of gender-based violence since 2021, sparking a global outpouring of tributes and rage.
Tony Sabila, Cheptegei’s uncle, described her as “a pillar to the family” and expressed his sadness over her loss.
As the body passed through the town of Eldoret, scores of activists lined the road, while others walked alongside the hearse.
At a rally, many wore white shirts with an image of Cheptegei and carried white or red roses, while others held signs reading, “Being a woman should not be a death sentence,” and “A house where a woman is not safe is not a home.”
Cheptegei was attacked outside her house in Endebass in Kenya, with her young daughters and teenage sister witnessing the assault.
Her attacker, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, also died in hospital on Monday due to severe burns.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said the dispute with Marangach was over property, and that he had bought petrol and hid in a chicken coop before the attack.
The United Nations condemned Cheptegei’s “violent murder,” with spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying, “Gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world and should be treated as such.”
In Kenya, 41 percent of married women have experienced physical violence, compared to 20 percent of unmarried women.
At least 500 women and girls have been murdered in Kenya since 2016, according to the UN.
Globally, there were 89,000 reports of women and girls murdered in 2022, the highest number recorded in 20 years.
Kenya’s sports minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, said Cheptegei’s death was a “stark reminder” that more must be done to combat gender-based violence.
