The tragedy of the marathon runner whose boyfriend had set fire to
Violence against women in Kenya is a very serious problem. According to the National Institute of Statistics, 34% of the Kenyan female population has suffered violence since the age of 15. And it is also a record number of confirmed feminicides: in 2022 there were 725. A spiral whose end is not yet in sight, and which joins the ‘curse’ of the Rift Valley which over the years has seen various protagonists of the world of athletics die
The latest tragedy is that of Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died at dawn today due to severe burns suffered after her partner set her on fire last Sunday. The death was announced on social media by the president of the Ugandan Olympic Committee, Donald Rukare. « We have learned of the sad death of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei following a violent attack by her boyfriend. May her soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women. » Rukare then deplored « a cowardly and senseless act that led to the loss of a great athlete ». The 33-year-old Cheptegei, who recently took part in the Paris Games marathon, placing 44th, was hospitalized in Eldoret in intensive care. According to the reconstruction of facts provided by the local police, a man identified as Cheptegei’s partner, the Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Marangach, doused her with petrol and set her on fire last Sunday in her home in Endebess, in the western county of Trans- Nzoia, Kenya. In the attack Cheptegei suffered burns over 80% of her body, as pointed out by one of the managers of the facility where she was hospitalized. « All his organs failed last night, » said a doctor at the facility, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Another doctor at the hospital said yesterday that Cheptegei’s condition had worsened in the last 24 hours due to infections, « and we had little hope that he would make it ». The police, for their part, explained that Marangach broke into Cheptegei’s house on Sunday afternoon, while she was at church with her children. The woman lived with her sister and two daughters in Endebess, an area near the border with Uganda. The Standard newspaper reported that Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the gruesome attack. « He kicked me while I was trying to run to my mother’s aid – one of the girls told the newspaper -. I immediately shouted for help, attracting a neighbor who tried to put out the flames with water, but it was not possible « . Marangach was also injured in the accident, suffering 30% burns to his body. His current condition was not disclosed.