Hundreds of Ugandans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set on fire by her partner on September 1 in Kenya, just weeks after competing in the Paris Olympic marathon. The 33-year-old succumbed to her injuries five days later after being doused with petrol and burned alive by her partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, in Kenya, where they lived.
On Saturday September 14, a large crowd, including officials and athletes like Kenyans Mary Keitany and Daniel Komen, attended the tribute in Bukwo, Rebecca’s hometown. A sergeant in the Ugandan army, her coffin, draped in the national flag, was carried by officers to the community hall before being taken to a stadium where hundreds had gathered. She was laid to rest in the afternoon.
The day before, her body had been in Eldoret, Kenya, where family members gathered before it was brought across the border to Uganda. Human rights activists condemned her killing, which echoes the tragic deaths of athletes Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua in Kenya, both murdered by their partners in 2021.