Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died at Moi Referral Hospital after being doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend. Apparently they were in dispute over a plot of land that she owned in Trans Nzoia.
This is the third case of a female athlete being murdered by her husband or boyfriend. The issue is normally about money because their men live off the earnings of the female athletes.
In 2022, the TV channel al Jazeera showed a very good documentary about how husbands signed athletic appearance contracts on behalf of their wives ( https://www.aljazeera.com/program/a-sense-of-community/2022/11/3/raising-champions-the-kenyan-runners-confronting-domestic-abuse ). After that, the women were powerless to control their personal finances.
The only solution is for government to step in to protect these women who are being preyed on by their male partners. The male athletes are fine because they sign their own contracts.
Government should set up a programme to help these female athletes, perhaps by supporting existing self-help organisations taking care of female runners.
But the Attorney General should also deploy a permanent lawyer to Iten where the runners train. A contract with a female athlete should only be valid if it is signed off by a government lawyer.
Quote of the day: "Success begins when determination outshines doubt."
Abebe Bikila
The Ethiopian runner won the marathon Olympic gold medal in bare feet in Rome on September 10, 1960
