The small village of Bukwo, Uganda, is buried in a sad weekend as family, friends, and government officials gather to bid farewell to Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, a talented marathon runner who was brutally murdered by her partner in Kenya, just weeks after participating in the Paris Olympics marathon.
Cheptegei, only 33, succumbed to her injuries on September 5th, four days after her Kenyan partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, 32, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. Despite suffering severe burns himself, Marangach died days later in a Kenyan hospital.
The horrific murder sparked international outrage, with human rights activists calling attention to the rising epidemic of femicide in Kenya. The country has seen a string of similar tragedies, with prominent athletes like Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua also falling victim to violence by their partners in recent years.
On a chilly Saturday morning, the village of Bukwo, located 380 kilometers northeast of Kampala, came together to honor Rebecca Cheptegei. The ceremony began with a gathering at the local town hall, where loved ones, community members, and officials gathered to celebrate her life. Cheptegei, a sergeant in the Ugandan army and a beacon of national pride, had not only made strides on the track but also in the hearts of many Ugandans.
“She was a heroine,” said Alex Malinga, Cheptegei's coach during her teenage years. “Rebecca contributed greatly to the promotion of athletics until her last days.”
The funeral procession saw her body being transported from the town hall to a stage where the public could pay their last respects. She was laid to rest later in the afternoon, surrounded by emotional tributes from family, friends, and fellow athletes.
Before arriving in Uganda, Cheptegei’s remains were honored in Eldoret, Kenya, a hub for the country’s athletics community. It was there, near her training grounds, that her Kenyan family gathered around her coffin to say goodbye.
Reports suggest that Cheptegei’s daughters were witnesses to the brutal attack, making the loss even more heartbreaking. The couple had reportedly been fighting over property, with tensions escalating in the weeks leading up to her murder.
