Beyond the finish line: Harrowing violence crisis facing female athletes

Rebecca Cheptegei, Edith Muthoni and Damaris Muthee. [File Courtesy]

On September 1, 2024, at around 4 pm, marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei’s parents received a phone call dreaded by most parents. Their daughter had been rushed to hospital in critical condition.

She had sustained burns covering 80 per cent of her body after being doused with petrol.

Two years later, her parents recount the warning signs they believe were ignored. There is unspoken pain written all over their faces that can only be understood by a parent who has gone through such a level of grief.

Long before she became an Olympian, before international competitions and the headlines, Rebecca Cheptegei was simply a quiet village girl - a daughter, a sister and a dreamer.

To understand who Rebecca really was, we had to go back to the village where she grew up in Endebess, John Power.

To avoid getting lost, her younger brother Joshua came to pick us up from the main road and guided our vehicle on his motorbike.

We met Rebecca’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, on his way out, escorting one of his friends. The friend, carrying a live chicken in his hand, greeted us before walking away. We then went back home with Rebecca’s father.

Agnes Tirop. [File Courtesy]

“Karibuni hapa ndio kwetu nyumbani. Welcome, this is our home.”

It is a busy homestead. Rebecca’s younger sisters are washing utensils and cleaning the compound, while her mother is preparing maize. She gets up and welcomes us into her house. Rebecca’s father, who is also a pastor, prays for us.

The house is decorated with Rebecca’s medals, trophies and photographs of her races. On one wall hangs a black banner bearing the words “EndGBV” and the names of athletes who died through intimate partner violence.

After introductions, we step outside to interview Joseph. It has been two years since Rebecca’s murder, and her father sits down and talks about his daughter fondly.

“She was a quiet, disciplined girl,” he says. “Always smiling and respectful. When she was in Standard Three, she would run with older students in Standard Seven.”

Joseph, who was also an athlete, spotted his daughter’s talent early on.

He would take his daughter for practice on his bicycle.

When she was 14, she came home with her first trophy. Her dream was to run for Kenya, but those dreams were shattered when she was not selected for the Nationals. She was taken to neighbouring Uganda, where her uncle lived. She secured a sponsorship and later joined the Ugandan military.

In Uganda, she was married and had two daughters before separating from the father of her children.

In 2024, she competed at the Olympics for the first time.

She later bought property not far from her parents’ home and built her house there. During that time, she met Dickson Ndiema Marangach, the man who would later end her life.

The honeymoon phase did not last before problems started arising. Joseph says Dickson began bringing another woman to Rebecca’s house.

“We went and told him this is Rebecca’s house, not yours. You cannot bring another woman here. We were at the police station; the OCS talked to my daughter as well.”

They separated, but he continued pursuing Rebecca, and that worried her parents.

“When he started stalking my daughter, I felt uneasy and told my daughter this guy is dangerous. My daughter started going home late for her safety and would leave very early in the morning. The only people in the house were her two daughters and my youngest daughter.”

After a while, Dickson went to the house again with the other woman and locked the children inside while Rebecca was away.

“I got a call from my daughter who lived with Rebecca’s kids. I called an officer who was nearby and told him the kids were locked inside the house. He told me to sort our issues on our own and, if I wasn’t satisfied, I could report them to their bosses.”

He called Rebecca, who was in Iten for practice. They went to the police station, notified officers about what had happened, went home with the children and Dickson was arrested. He was released the same day.

Another issue was the land where Rebecca had built her house. Rebecca’s father says she had the original papers from the chief, bearing a rubber stamp, but claims Dickson forged documents claiming he owned the land.

“I called my daughter and told her life is more important than material things. Let’s call this guy, talk to him and give him the amount of money he wants so that he can leave you alone. She later refused and said we should continue with the case.”

The case started in June 2024.

“That Friday, I went with witnesses just to end the case. That is when the guy realised this issue was becoming serious and he would be jailed. He decided to buy petrol and go and burn my child on Sunday.”

That Sunday, September 1, their fears came true.

“I got the news at 4 pm. I got to the hospital at 7 pm. She was just crying.”

“It’s so heavy for me. Since she died, it’s really hard. She was taking care of us financially. She had promised to build us a house,” says Joseph.

Dorcas Cherop, Rebecca’s younger sister, saw the whole ordeal. That Sunday, they went to church and came back thinking it would be a normal afternoon. They went outside to remove clothes from the washing line because it was about to rain.

“While we were removing the clothes, Rebecca told me to take them back inside as she went to prepare the chicken coop. The moment I got inside the house, I heard her screaming.”

Dickson had squeezed himself into the chicken house and, when she approached, he poured petrol over her.

“I rushed outside only to find Dickson pouring petrol on her and lighting the lighter. My daughter and I ran and fetched the water that was outside. We poured it on her, but the fire did not go out,” she says.

“The neighbours came and just stared. They did not help. Rebecca shouted, ‘Dorry, run and bring me a blanket.’ Dickson followed me inside. I pushed him and ran back outside. He followed me outside and kicked me so hard that I fell. I ran while he went back to pour more petrol on my sister.”

When he poured petrol on her again, the flames engulfed him as well.

“The neighbours helped him, but they did not help my sister. I ran to another neighbour. The man wanted to burn me as well.”

There was some water nearby. We dipped her in it, but she was still on fire. We tried again and I covered her with a leso. That is when they took her to hospital.

Rebecca’s last words were directed at Dickson.

“You have burnt me because of my things.”

Rebecca’s mother, Agnes Cheptegei, still remembers her daughter’s dreams.

“She said she wanted to buy us land and build us a house. She would run and save her money. The month she was due to start building for us, she came in a casket.”

She felt powerless when she saw her daughter writhing in pain in a hospital bed.

“She was swollen from the neck down. By Tuesday, her whole body was swollen until we couldn’t see the eyes. I cried until the time she died and was taken to the mortuary. I don’t even remember when I stopped crying,” she adds, bowing her head and battling tears.

Agnes’ advice to people in abusive relationships is never to ignore red flags.

“Just leave.”

Rebecca is one of four female athletes who have been murdered by their intimate partners.

In 2021, the whole country was covered by a cloud of mourning when athlete Agnes Tirop was murdered.

Agnes Tirop, a celebrated long-distance runner and world championship medallist, was found dead at her home in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, on October 13, 2021. She had sustained multiple stab wounds.

Investigations identified her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, as the prime suspect.

A day before Agnes Tirop’s death, on October 12, 2021, another athlete’s life, Edith Muthoni, ended tragically after she was allegedly killed by her partner following a domestic dispute in Kianjege village in Kerugoya, Kirinyaga County.

She was found in her home bleeding after she was hacked with a sharp object.

Six months later, on April 16, 2022, another athlete, Damaris Muthee, was killed.

Her decomposing body was found three days later in her house in Iten town, lying on the bed with a pillow on her face.

Her Ethiopian lover is believed to be the prime suspect in her murder.

After Tirop’s death, Olympian Joan Chelimo co-founded Tirop Angels, an organisation meant to fight gender-based violence (GBV) by educating young girls about harmful cultural norms.

Joan would later start her own organisation, Strides4 Africa. She says some of the biggest challenges new athletes face are lack of food, rent, training kits and basic hygiene needs.

“Poverty leads them into the wrong hands of coaches who end up manipulating and abusing them.”

Joan Chelimo says most of the challenges stem from finances.

“Female athletes are taking up the role of the other gender. They travel and come back, take responsibilities at home, and the other gender is not okay with it.”

She adds that another challenge making women athletes susceptible to abuse and sexual exploitation is the lack of women physiotherapists and coaches.

“There are no female physiotherapists around and some of the girls are abused because they did not have Sh500 to pay for sessions, so they exchange sex for the services. They are perpetrated by people close to them: the physios and the coaches,” she says.

Most do not report abuse because they fear stigmatisation and some believe the perpetrator will not be held accountable.

Asked whether sports organisations and federations take care of athletes when matters concerning GBV arise, Joan said:

“No. There’s nothing they have done. In fact, we are doing the job they are supposed to be doing. There should be a confidential reporting mechanism. All the coaches need to be certified by the federation. There should be a GBV desk at the office of the sports organisation. There’s none.”

Through her organisation, Joan rescues abused athletes, counsels them, provides legal aid, teaches them their rights, offers financial literacy training and sensitises coaches.

Joan faced rejection when she started her efforts to sensitise the community.

She started incorporating men into her programmes and gradually gained acceptance.