KAMPALA, Sept 14 Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, tragically killed after allegedly being set on fire by her former partner, was laid to rest on Saturday with full military honors in her ancestral village in northeastern Uganda.
Cheptegei, 33, returned to Kenya after finishing 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics in August. Just three weeks later, her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, allegedly attacked her as she returned from church with her daughters and younger sister. Despite having approached the police several times to file complaints against him, the situation ended in tragedy. She suffered burns to 80% of her body and succumbed to her injuries four days later.
At her funeral, hundreds gathered to pay their respects, including fellow Olympians from Uganda and Kenya. The Ugandan military gave her a full honors burial, with a gun salute as part of the proceedings.
Cheptegei’s death has highlighted the ongoing issue of violence against women in Kenya, particularly in the athletics community, where she became the third elite runner to be killed by a partner since 2021.
In her sporting career, Cheptegei had notable successes, including winning the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships and setting a national marathon record for Uganda.
