Olympian Rebecca Chetegei’s parents speak on her death after her ex-boyfriend set her on fire

The heartbroken mother of Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Chetegei, who tragically died on Thursday after she was set ablaze by someone her family described as an ex-boyfriend, says her daughter was a “good and polite child.”

Kenyan and Ugandan media reported that Cheptegei, 33, who competed in the Paris Olympics, suffered burns to more than 75% of her body in Sunday's attack, making her the third sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021.

Peter Ogwang, Uganda's minister of state for sports, said Kenyan authorities were investigating the killing, which has shone a spotlight on violence experienced by women in the East African nation.

Nearly 34% of Kenyan girls and women aged 15-49 years have suffered physical violence, according to government data from 2022, with married women at particular risk.

(Reuters)