In a distant village close to the Kenyan border, thousands of mourners in Uganda attended a military funeral in honour of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after her partner set her on fire.
According to military spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye, Cheptegei was a sergeant in the Ugandan army and deserved a “gun salute that befits her rank”. This explains why military officers were heavily involved in the funeral. Moreover, athletes, family members, and others gave their eulogies in front of thousands in a sports field in the Bukwo district.
Cause of her death
On September 3, Dickson Ndiema attacked her at her home in Trans-Nzoia County, western Kenya, dousing her in gasoline, causing 80 per cent of her body to be burned. The couple fought over a plot of land the athlete had purchased in Kenya, according to a report submitted by the local chief.
The horrifying gasoline attack startled many people and bolstered concerns for the safety of female runners who are being exploited and abused in the East African nation.
Following a public march by dozens of campaigners demanding a stop to physical abuse against female athletes in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, Cheptegei’s body was returned to Uganda in a solemn procession.
Cheptegei is the fourth athlete in Kenya to have died at the hands of her partner in a troubling trend of violence against women in recent years. This year, there have been multiple marches in response to Kenya’s high incidence of violence against women.
Source: CNN