TRIBUTE – After several rallies across the country and moments of reflection, Uganda honors the memory of Rebecca Cheptegei one last time, to the sound of a fanfare. The funeral of the marathon runner, doused in gasoline and burned by her partner in early September in Kenya, took place this Saturday, September 14 in the presence of her family and political leaders.
Death of athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, self-immolated by her partner on her return from the Paris Olympics
As you can see in the video at the top of the articlerelatives of the Ugandan athlete, residents, officials waited in the morning cold to pay their last respects in the village of Bukwo where her family lives, some 380 kilometers northeast of the capital Kampala.
Dozens of athletes travelled to the small Ugandan village to attend the ceremony and pay tribute to the woman who finished 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11.
A violent femicide
The 33-year-old athlete succumbed to her serious and multiple injuries on September 5 after being attacked on September 1 by her Kenyan partner in Kenya, where she lived and trained. Her attacker, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, 32, doused her with gasoline before setting her on fire. He himself was seriously burned and died on Monday in a Kenyan hospital.
Rebecca Cheptegei’s death has sparked an international outpouring of tributes and outrage. Human rights activists have denounced this latest femicide in Kenya, where two other athletes, Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua, have been killed and their respective partners accused of the murders, since 2021.
National tribute to the country’s ‘heroine’
According to funeral organisers, the athlete’s body was then taken from the town hall to a stadium where people were able to pay their respects. Rebecca Cheptegei was then buried at around 3pm local time.
“We are extremely sad”commented Simon Ayeko, Rebecca’s ex-husband, with whom she had two daughters, on Friday. “As a father, it was very difficult.”he added, explaining that he had not yet been able to break the news to their children. Little by little, we will tell them the truth.”.
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