{"id":35788,"date":"2024-09-08T22:09:21","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T02:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/domestic-violence-allegations-shake-kenyan-athletics\/08\/09\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-09-08T22:09:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T02:09:21","slug":"domestic-violence-allegations-shake-kenyan-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/domestic-violence-allegations-shake-kenyan-athletics\/08\/09\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Domestic violence allegations shake Kenyan athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The News<\/h3>\n

NAIROBI \u2014 Kenya\u2019s athletics community is grappling with cases of domestic violence against female athletes. Recent deaths and injuries at the hands of abusive partners have amplified demands for justice, and calls for authorities to curb the worrying trend.<\/p>\n

Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, this week succumbed to injuries sustained after her former boyfriend allegedly doused her in petrol and set her on fire. The incident took place at her home in Endebess, western Kenya. Her alleged killer, a Kenyan man called Dickson Ndiema Marangach, was taken to hospital with burns from the incident. He is yet to face criminal charges.<\/p>\n

According to Cheptegei\u2019s family, she had been troubled for months before her death. They blamed the police for failing to take action early, saying they filed a report<\/a> when Ndiema followed her on a trip to Uganda.<\/p>\n

Know More<\/h3>\n

Cheptegei\u2019s tragedy was the latest in a growing list of deadly cases of domestic violence against female athletes in the country. In October 2021, star distance runner Agnes Tirop was killed in Iten, a high-altitude athletics training hub in western Kenya. She broke the world 10 kilometer women\u2019s record just a month before her death. Her husband Ibrahim Rotich was eventually arrested and charged with murder. The case is yet to be concluded, with Rotich out on bail since November last year.<\/p>\n

Just six months after Tirop\u2019s death, another gruesome death rocked the athletics community. Kenyan-born runner Damaris Muthee, who competed for Bahrain, was found dead in a house in Iten after being strangled. Police launched a manhunt for her alleged killer, her Ethiopian partner Eskinder Hailemariam Folie, who allegedly fled with her ID and bank documents.<\/p>\n

Other Kenyan female runners, including Ruth Bosibori and Joan Chelimo, have come out publicly to reveal that they escaped abusive relationships.<\/p>\n

Martin\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

The financial success of top women athletes on the world stage makes them especially vulnerable to abusive partners looking to control their funds, careers and assets, experts have warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome partners want to be in charge of athletes\u2019 winnings, sponsorships, where they go and what they do, and this entitlement causes conflicts,\u201d Nairobi-based psychologist Millicent Gathoni told Semafor Africa. She stressed that sports federations needed to offer relevant support to athletes to help them better navigate their careers.<\/p>\n

Despite these murders of female athletes in Kenya in recent years, not a single conviction has so far been secured against the killers. Securing justice for innocent victims of domestic violence is key to curbing this tragic trend.<\/p>\n

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