WARNING: This narrative deals with familial violence and may be upsetting.
An Olympic distance runner is in severe condition in a Kenyan hospital after being set on fire, according to several accounts. Rebecca Cheptegei, an athlete, is reportedly receiving treatment for burns covering 75% of her body.
“We regret to inform you that our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has sustained serious injuries and is being treated at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. This follows an incident in which her Kenyan partner poured fuel on her and set her on fire, according to the Uganda Athletics Federation.
Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete living in Kenya, was attacked at her home in Trans Nzoia County, close the Ugandan border. Cheptegei’s parents informed the Associated Press (AP) that their daughter purchased property in Trans Nzoia to be closer to Kenya’s athletic training centers.
The 33-year-old long distance runner qualified for Uganda’s Olympic team and finished 44th in the women’s marathon this summer in Paris.
According to AP, Cheptegei’s boyfriend poured a jerrycan of petrol on her and lit her on fire during an argument on Sunday. According to a complaint submitted by the local chief, the couple had been fighting over the land where the house was erected prior to the attack, according to AP.
According to Trans Nzoia County police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom, Cheptegei’s partner was also severely burned in the incident. Both are undergoing specialist care at a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.
“The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house,” Kosiom recalled. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”
The attack on Cheptegei follows other recent incidences of violence against female athletes in Kenya.
Agnes Tirop, an Olympic distance runner, was stabbed to death at her home in Iten, about 35 kilometres east of Eldoret. Six months later, Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan runner who raced for Bahrain, was discovered dead at her boyfriend’s home in Iten. A postmortem revealed that she was strangled.
Tirop’s husband has been identified as the prime suspect in her death, and he is charged with murder, which he denies. The search for Mutua’s partner continues
FAMILY VIOLENCE
How to get help:
If you’re in danger now:
• Call the police at 111 or have neighbours or friends call for you.
• Run outdoors and go where there are other people. Scream for help so that your neighbors can hear you.
• Take your children with you. Do not stop to get anything else.
• If you are abused, realize that it is not your fault. Violence is never acceptable.
Where to go for support or other information:
• Women’s Refuge Crisis Line: 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7).
• Shine Helpline: 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It’s Not Ok: Family Violence Information Line: 0800 456 450
• Shakti provides specialized services for women and children from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. • Crisis line: 0800 742 584 (available 24/7).
• The Ministry of Justice provides information on family violence.
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga (National Network of Family Violence Services)
• White Ribbon: Aims to end men’s violence toward women.