Anne Soy & Damian Zane
(BBC) – Thousands of mourners have turned out in eastern Uganda for the funeral of Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set ablaze by her former boyfriend and later died.
Dickson Ndiema attacked her with petrol just under a fortnight ago outside her home in neighbouring northwest Kenya, close to where she trained.
The 33-year-old’s killing and its brutal nature left her family distraught and shocked many others across the world.
It underscored the high levels of violence against women in Kenya and the fact that several female athletes have been victims in recent years.
Among those at the sombre and emotional funeral ceremony in a school field in Bukwo, Cheptegei’s home district, are fellow athletes wearing black T-shirts with the slogan “say no to gender-based violence”.
Peter Njoroge / BBC Cheptegei’s two daughters, Charity and Joy, are at the funeral
