Ghanaian Olympian’s Slain Body Begins Journey Back Home Amid Outpour of Rage and Tributes Globally
The life of Rebecca Cheptegei, a 33-year-old Ugandan athlete and Olympic debutant, is now a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of gender-based violence. The distraught family and loved ones are still reeling after her brutal murder on September 1, in her home in Endebass, Kenya. As Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics revealed in a 2023 report, an alarmingly high 34 percent of women in Kenya suffered physical violence since the age of 15, solidifying the notion that ‘being a woman is being a target.’
On her fateful day, tragedy struck when her partner in Kenya, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, 32, ruthlessly poured petrol on the Olympian and set the woman ablaze, forcing her to succumb to her wounds. As relatives and friends mourn the brutal loss, Cheptegei’s uncle, Tony Sabila, describes the athlete as “a pillar to the family.” We, too, grieve for the loss of not just a talented athlete, but a shining example for young women everywhere, highlighting the urgent need to prevent femicide.
Since being discovered, Cheptegei’s body began the long journey back home on Friday, as her extended family in Kenya, now living in Eldoret in the Rift Valley region near her home, took last respects. Meanwhile, thousands converged for a rally outside of Eldoret, calling ‘say no to femicide,’ ‘being a woman should not be a death sentence,’ and ‘this is not a home with no safety for a mother.’
The incident joins previous reported cases of violence aimed at athletes in Kenya’s female sports community. There are now three fatalities with gender-based violence-related links in Kenya since 2021. As these athletes lose their lives in one way or another, each death serves as a loud wake-up call. Today, we mourn for, Rebecca Cheptegei, and for her three colleagues who lost their valuable lives in similar violent environments.
