NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 5 — Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has pledged that the government will pursue justice for Rebecca Cheptegei, the Ugandan athlete who tragically passed away early Thursday morning.
Cheptegei, who had competed in the recent Olympic Games in Paris, succumbed to severe burns inflicted by her estranged boyfriend.
Cheptegei, admitted to the Eldoret Teaching and Referral Hospital with 70 percent burns, had been in intensive care for three days. Dr. Kimani Mbugua from the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital confirmed that she died from multiple organ failure due to the extensive burns.
Murkomen expressed his condolences, stating, “Her passing is not only a loss to Uganda and the athletics community, but to the entire region. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which has increasingly affected even elite sports. The government is committed to ensuring justice for Rebecca. No one should have to endure such suffering. May her soul rest in peace.”
According to Eldoret police, Cheptegei and her boyfriend had been involved in a dispute before he reportedly doused her with petrol and set her on fire. The boyfriend, who is hospitalized with 30 percent burns, is currently also amitted at the same facility.
Rebecca’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, has called for justice, expressing his anguish over the loss of his daughter, who was the family’s primary provider.
“This is a devastating loss for us. We depended on her, and now we are at a loss. I urge the government to ensure justice is served. As of now, the man responsible is in the hospital without any security, and he might even escape,” he told reporters.
He further revealed that their previous complaints about the boyfriend’s harassment had been ignored. “If the authorities had acted more swiftly, we might have saved her life. He even followed her to Uganda when she returned home, despite us alerting the police. Nothing was done,” he lamented.
