The person who attacked Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died from accidents sustained when he poured petrol over the Olympic athlete, the Kenyan hospital treating him mentioned.
Police mentioned that Dickson Ndiema Marangach assaulted Cheptegei in her dwelling in western Kenya on September 1. The mom of two sustained 80 % burns and died final week.
In the midst of the assault, Marangach additionally incurred 30 % burns and was being handled within the intensive care unit on the Moi Instructing and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Kenya’s Rift Valley metropolis of Eldoret.
Marangach died at 7:50pm native time (16:50 GMT) on Monday, Daniel Lang’at, a spokesperson on the hospital mentioned.
“He died from his accidents, the burns he sustained,” Lang’at informed the Reuters information company.
Police in Kenya mentioned Marangach snuck into her dwelling in Endebess, close to the border with Uganda, whereas she was at church along with her youngsters aged 9 and 11.
Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, informed reporters the dispute with Marangach had been over the property the place she lived along with her sister and daughters. He informed Kenyan media final week that Marangach had purchased 5 litres (1.3 gallons) of petrol after which hid out in a hen coop earlier than the assault.
“He poured the petrol and lit her on fireplace. When she known as her sister to assist, he threatened her with a machete and she or he ran away.”
The police mentioned the couple had “continuously had household wrangles”.
The United Nations condemned her “violent homicide”, with Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, saying: “Gender-based violence is likely one of the most prevalent human rights violations on the planet, and needs to be handled as such.”
We strongly condemn the homicide of Rebecca Cheptegei, the third elite runner to be murdered in Kenya. All suspects have been intimate companions of the athletes.
No impunity for perpetrators.
The pattern of #femicide should be stopped.Assertion by @unwomenafrica https://t.co/KHT9D4fcrs pic.twitter.com/KLYAVcYq0d
— UN Ladies (@UN_Women) September 5, 2024
Tributes pour in as Cheptegei honoured in Paris
Cheptegei, who completed forty fourth in Paris, is the third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. Her demise has put the highlight on home violence within the East African nation, notably inside its operating group.
She is because of be buried on September 14 close to her household dwelling in japanese Uganda, based on the nation’s Olympic Committee.
On Sunday, the Paralympic Video games in Paris paid tribute to her when an image of Cheptegei appeared on a large display screen after the marathon occasions on the final day of the video games. The tribute was met with applause from the spectators on the Esplanade des Invalides.
Town of Paris mentioned it might honour Cheptegei by naming a sports activities venue after her.
Tributes have poured in for the runner, who was Uganda’s girls’s marathon document holder and in addition served within the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, holding the rank of sergeant.
“Our sport has misplaced a proficient athlete in essentially the most tragic and unthinkable circumstances,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe mentioned.
“Rebecca was an extremely versatile runner who nonetheless had heaps left to provide on the roads, mountains and cross-country trails.”
Coe mentioned he was in discussions with members of World Athletics’ governing council “to evaluate how our safeguarding insurance policies could be enhanced to incorporate abuse exterior of the game, and bringing collectively stakeholders from all areas of athletics to mix forces to guard our feminine athletes to the most effective of our talents from abuse of all types”.
Our sport has misplaced a proficient athlete in essentially the most tragic and unthinkable circumstances.
Rebecca was an extremely versatile runner who nonetheless had heaps left to provide on the roads, mountains and cross nation trails.
I’ve been in contact with our Council Members in Africa to see… https://t.co/RuDdyxFBm7
— Seb Coe (@sebcoe) September 5, 2024
Cheptegei’s demise highlights gender-based violence in Kenya
Rights teams say feminine athletes in Kenya, the place many worldwide runners prepare within the high-altitude highlands, are at a excessive danger of exploitation and violence by the hands of males drawn to their prize cash, which far exceeds native incomes.
“Justice actually would have been for him to take a seat in jail and take into consideration what he had accomplished. This isn’t optimistic information by any means,” mentioned Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a assist group for survivors of home violence in Kenya’s athletic group.
“The shock of Rebecca’s demise continues to be recent,” Cheptoo informed Reuters.
Cheptoo co-founded Tirop’s Angels in reminiscence of Agnes Tirop, a rising determine in Kenya’s extremely aggressive athletics scene, who was discovered lifeless in her dwelling within the city of Iten in October 2021 with a number of stab wounds to the neck.
Ibrahim Rotich, Tirop’s husband, was charged along with her homicide and has pleaded not responsible. The case is continuous.
At the least two different athletes have died by the hands of their companions since 2021.
All through Kenya, 41 % of ladies who’ve been married have skilled bodily violence, in contrast with 20 per cent of those that haven’t been married.
At the least 500 girls and women have been murdered in Kenya since 2016, based on the UN.
Figures from UN Ladies Africa present that globally, there have been 89,000 reviews of ladies and women murdered in 2022, the very best quantity recorded in 20 years. Greater than half of the ladies and women have been killed by intimate companions or different relations.
Kenya’s sports activities minister Kipchumba Murkomen mentioned the Olympian’s demise was a “stark reminder” that extra should be accomplished to fight gender-based violence.