Rebecca Chaptegei
- MJKG
- Nov 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 11, 2024
Rebecca Chaptegei was an accomplished Olympic marathon runner from Uganda. In September 2024, Rebecca was killed.
Flashback ~ She was brought into the world in 1991 on the Kenyan side of the Kenyan-Ugandan border. She grew up with two loving parents who allowed her passion for athletics to grow into what we now know. She grew up to be a God-fearing mother of two with her estranged husband.
Rebecca represented Uganda in several championships since 2010 including the World Athletics Championships, and the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She similarly participated in the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand in 2022, where she won a gold medal. Quite recently, she finished 2nd at the 2023 Florence Marathon in Italy and 44th at the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics in Summer. Unknowingly to her, it was her last.
Her partner-boyfriend doused her with petrol and set her on fire. Her partner killed her. She died four days later after sustaining severe burns on 80 percent of her body. Her partner later died from injuries gotten from the assault. Her mom wore a t-shirt at her burial saying ‘being a woman should not be a death sentence.’ Can only imagine the hurt she felt burying her daughter.
Her death awoke international attention on gender-based violence in Afrika. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, stated that the city would honour Rebecca Chaptegei by naming a sports facility after her. Her death has made minds aware of the atrocities committed on a daily in Afrikan countries. Organisations are being created to fight for women's LIVES and eradicate femcide and gender based abuse.
This should not happen to any woman, athlete, mother, girl, child, or living being. At WOLA we honour Rebecca’s memory by working to educate the next generation of women leaders. Rebecca's mother's words echo our purpose: 'being a woman should not be a death sentence.' You’re a leader and you have the right to be one. Your gender is not a death sentence, ever.
~Maryam J-K Gadzama, Chief Editor 24/25 Committee
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I really liked this read. I remember when i first heard of her death - i hated all teh men around me because what. But then i slowly realized that they're not the problem, society is. The norms, the 'it's okay to do that', the 'my woman would wash the dishes dont worry' is the problem.