Abhay Singh
Paris plans to name a sports venue after the late Ugandan Olympic runner, Rebecca Cheptegei, after she died in a Kenyan hospital after being burned to death by her partner. The proposal was announced by city mayor Anne Hidalgo and will be discussed by elected officials in October.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon
Less than a month ago, Cheptegei participated in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics and placed 44th.
Paris City Hall stated “Paris joins its elected representatives in expressing its support for the family of the athlete, victim of a femicide a few weeks after her participation in the Olympic Games,”
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom stated this week that Dickson Ndiema, Cheptegei’s partner, purchased a can of gasoline, poured it on her, and lit her on fire following a disagreement last Sunday.
Ndiema was also burned and was receiving treatment at the same facility.
“An emotional thought for Rebecca Cheptegei,”
According to data from UN Women, the organization that promotes gender equality, and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member somewhere in the world every 11 minutes on average.
“An emotional thought for Rebecca Cheptegei, We saw her, her beauty, her strength, her freedom. Paris will not forget her, and we will dedicate a sports venue to her so that her memory and her story will be present among us.” Hidalgo stated at a Friday press conference.
According to the latest Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 findings, it has been revealed that a significant percentage of women in Kenya, specifically four out of every 10 women, which is roughly 41 per cent of those who are either dating or married, have been subjected to acts of physical or sexual violence inflicted by their current or most recent partner.
This troubling statistic sheds light on the prevalent issue of intimate partner violence within relationships in Kenya, emphasizing the urgent need for interventions and support services aimed at safeguarding vulnerable women from such harmful behavior.
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