International Outcry Following the Tragic Death of Olympic Runner Rebecca Cheptegei

By Sarah Holmes

Rebecca Cheptegei

After competing in the Women’s Marathlon at the Olypmic Games in Paris less than a month ago, Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei died on Thursday in a Kenyan hospital. She had suffered burns to 80% of her body in a domestic violence attack by her partner. The recent death of the 33-year-old runner has intensified the attention given to the prevalence of gender based violence in the country. 

Just three years ago, in 2021, two female Kenyan athletes were murdered by their partners. These cases, along with Cheptegei’s, have gathered the attention of both international and local human rights groups, who are calling for stronger legal protections for women who are suffering at the hands of their husbands and boyfriends. 

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, four in ten women in Kenya who are dating or married have experienced physical or sexual violence from their male partners. Many argue that violence against women in the country has been perpetuated by negligence on the part of local authorities, including the dismissal of reports filed by women, and a lack of urgency in addressing their concerns⁵. In Cheptegei’s case, her father claimed her death could have been prevented if authorities had taken the family’s inital reports of her boyfriend’s violent behavior seriously. Kenyan authorities have stated they will continue investigating her death and plan to release more detailed reports at a later date.