Murdered Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei buried with full military honours

Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being set on fire by former partner, was buried at her ancestral home.

Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after being doused in petrol and set on fire by her former partner, has been buried with full military honours at her ancestral home in Uganda’s northeast.

The 33-year-old, who debuted this summer in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, died of severe burns last week after being attacked by Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Marangach – an assault that prompted a global outpouring of tributes.

Hundreds of residents, relatives, officials and fellow Olympians from Uganda and Kenya paid their respects to Cheptegei on Saturday in Bukwo village near Uganda’s border with Kenya. Her body was lowered into her grave with full military honours, including  a gun salute by the Ugandan military, in which she served.

“She embodied the admirable spirit of resilience, selflessness, generosity and hard work, which worked together to catapult her to international glory,” said Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s sports minister. Her death, he said, marked “a tragic end to a blossoming life”.

Ugandan Sports Minister Peter Ogwang condemned the “barbaric and cowardly” attack that had taken her life and said the government would give roughly $13,000 to each of Cheptegei’s children.

Cheptegei lived in the highlands of western Kenya, an area popular with international runners for its high-altitude training facilities. She came 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11 – her final race.

Three weeks later, Marangach attacked Cheptegei on September 1 as she returned from church with her two daughters and younger sister in the village of Kinyoro.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told the Reuters news agency his daughter had approached police at least three times to file complaints against Marangach, who died a few days after Cheptegei from burns sustained during the attack.