Rebecca Cheptegei Is the 3rd Female Athlete Killed by an Intimate Partner in Kenya Since 2021
On Sunday, Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan long-distance runner who competed in the Paris Olympic Games, was brutally attacked in her home by her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema. The couple was reportedly arguing about land that Cheptegei recently purchased when Ndiema poured a jerrican of gasoline over her head and set her on fire. On Thursday, Cheptegei—who sustained burns over 80% of her body—passed away at a Kenyan hospital. She was just 33 years old.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence,” the Uganda Athletics Federation posted on Twitter following the news of her death. “As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace.”
Cheptegei was treated for her burns at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and ultimately, suffered multi-organ failure on Wednesday. Ndiema, who sustained burns over 30% of his body, is being treated by the same hospital. Less than a month before her murder, Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Olympics, finishing in 44th place.
Domestic violence has no place in society and for top female athletes, it is becoming increasingly fatal especially with jealous partners.
Rebecca Cheptegei (Uganda ????????) now joins two Kenyans Agnes Tirop (2021) and Damaris Mutua (2022) who were killed by partners in Iten, Kenya. pic.twitter.com/rs10Ac2tND
— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) September 5, 2024
On Thursday, Cheptegei's parents spoke to journalists outside of the hospital. Her father, Joseph, said he'd previously alerted authorities about Ndiema's concerning behavior. They also said that their daughter purchased land in order to be closer to Kenya's training centers, according to the Associated Press. A local chief reported that they were heard fighting over where she was building her new house before the attack.
"I blame her death on negligence by the government because the authorities should have taken it seriously when we first reported that this man [Ndiema] had become problematic and he was fighting her," Cheptegei said. "We reported to the police, to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations but they didn’t take any action to save her life."
“As it is now, the criminal who harmed my daughter is a murderer and I am yet to see what the security officials are doing,” he added. “He is still free and might even flee.”
Cheptegei is the third female athlete to be killed by an intimate partner in Kenya in the last three years. In 2021, 25-year-old Kenyan Olympic runner Agnes Tirop was found dead in her home with stab wounds in her neck. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was charged with her murder. Months later, Damaris Mutua, another Kenyan athlete, was found strangled. Weeks earlier, Mutua, who was only 28, had placed third in the Luanda half-marathon in Angola, and, earlier that year, placed second in the Arab Cross Country Championship in Bahrain. Her boyfriend was the prime suspect, per authorities. All three murders are stark reminders of an ongoing femicide in Kenya. In 2022 alone, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime reported that 725 women in Kenya were killed in gender-related murders.
“Kenyan authorities are investigating the circumstances under which she died and a more detailed report and program will be provided in due course,” Peter Ogwang, Uganda’s minister of state for sports, wrote of Cheptegei in a post on Twitter. Meanwhile, in an official statement, Kipchumba Murkomen, the country's sports minister, said that Cheptegei’s death was “not only a loss to Uganda and the athletics community, but to the entire region.”