Thousands of people have gathered in eastern Uganda for the funeral of Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set on fire by her ex-boyfriend and later died.
Dickson Ndiema attacked her with petrol less than two weeks ago outside her home in neighbouring northwestern Kenya, close to where she was training.
The murder of the 33-year-old woman and its brutality caused great distress to her family and shocked many others around the world.
It underscored the high level of violence against women in Kenya and the fact that several female athletes have been victims in recent years.
Among those attending the funeral ceremony on a school field in Bukwo, Cheptegei’s home district, were other athletes wearing black T-shirts with the slogan “Say no to gender-based violence”.
Earlier in the day, local leaders held a memorial service where her casket was put on display and the Ugandan flag was hoisted over it.
They held a moment of silence and gave a standing ovation to pay their respects to the deceased athlete.
Councillors said Cheptegei led a “simple and focused life” and always offered guidance to her fellow athletes. “She inspired many children in the area to join athletics,” one said.
They also suggested naming a road and a local sports complex after her.
She will be buried later on Saturday at her father’s farm nearby.
Cheptegei died in hospital four days after the attack. Doctors said she suffered burns over 80% of her body, which “led to multi-organ failure”.
Ndiema, who was also burned after fuel spilled on his body, died on Monday.
He attacked the mother of two after she returned from a church service, the God’s Dwelling Ministry.
The pastor there, Caroline Atieno, remembers a “wonderful… God-fearing person.”
After hearing what had happened, she was able to call Cheptegei while she was in the hospital.
The athlete first asked about her children, who were both doing well, the pastor told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.
Then Cheptegei spoke about her attacker: “You mean Dickson can’t see all the things I’ve done for him? He couldn’t even remember one or two things I’ve done for him and couldn’t set me on fire anymore? Why did he do this to me?”
On Friday, family members, friends and activists against gender-based violence visited her coffin at a funeral home in the Kenyan city of Eldoret before it was driven away.
Her mother, Agnes Cheptegei, covered her face in fear and carried a souvenir bag given to the athlete at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the marathon.
She wore a T-shirt that read, “Being a woman shouldn’t be a death sentence.”
The mother of two was the third female athlete to be murdered in Kenya in the past three years. In each case, current or former romantic partners were named by police as prime suspects.
In 2021, world record holder Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death and six months later Damaris Mutua was strangled.
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Attacks on women have become a major problem in Kenya, with at least 34% of women saying they had experienced physical violence in 2022, according to a national survey.
Some observers say female athletes are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
“(This is) because they are going against the traditional gender norms where the woman is just in the kitchen and cooking and taking care of the children. But now female athletes are becoming more independent, more financially independent,” said Joan Chelimo, who co-founded Tirop’s Angels to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women.
“We don’t want this to happen to other women, whether it’s an athlete, a village woman or a young girl,” Rachel Kamweru, a spokeswoman for the government’s Department for Gender Equality and Affirmative Action, told the BBC.
When Cheptegei first started running, she joined the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008, who supported her financially.
Her last race was at the Olympic Games in Paris. Although she finished 44th, people in her home region still called her “champion”.
She won gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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