The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei—who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya—was received on Friday by her family and anti-femicide activists, ahead of her burial the following day.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret, chanting anti-femicide slogans. Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to be killed by her partner in Kenya, highlighting a troubling trend of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, founder of Tirop Angels—an organization established in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021—called for an end to such tragedies. “We are here to say that enough is enough; we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
The mood at the morgue was somber as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body, which had sustained 80% burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner, Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema, who also sustained 30% burns, later succumbed to his injuries.
The couple reportedly quarreled over a piece of land Cheptegei had bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief. Cheptegei had competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack, finishing in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said the body will make a brief stop at their home in Endebess before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday. “We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He revealed last week that Ndiema had been stalking and threatening Cheptegei, and that the family had informed the police. Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted marches by ordinary citizens across towns and cities this year. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, four in ten women, or an estimated 41%, have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner.
