On Friday, athletes and human rights activists marched in Eldoret to demand government action against the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) affecting women athletes. Led by Viola Cheptoo, founder of the Tirop Angels Foundation and a marathoner, the demonstrators called for urgent measures following the recent murder of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei.
The protestors gathered as Cheptegei’s body was transferred from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, ahead of her burial in Bukwo, Uganda.
“We’ve lost many athletes to GBV, and enough is enough. We don’t want to hear about any more deaths related to violence. We urge the government to join us in this movement and help establish structures to end this vice,” Cheptoo said.
Cheptegei, 33, succumbed to severe injuries last week after being attacked on September 1 by her Kenyan partner, who doused her with petrol and set her on fire. She is the third athlete to have died in Kenya due to gender-based violence since 2021, sparking global outrage and tributes.
The attack took place outside Cheptegei’s home in Endebass, Kenya. Her assailant, 32-year-old Dickson Ndiema Marangach, also suffered severe burns and died in the hospital on Monday.
A 2023 report by Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics highlighted that 34 percent of women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
