President William Ruto’s Advisor on Women Rights on Thursday condemned the attack that led to the death of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei who was brutally attacked by a Kenyan lover and succumbed to her injuries in Eldoret.
Harriette Chiggai, the President’s Advisor on Women Rights, described Cheptegei as a talented athlete who did not deserve to meet the unfortunate circumstance that led to her death.
‘’Ms Cheptegei was a talented and inspirational athlete who did not deserve to be taken away from her family, including her two young daughters, because of a domestic dispute,’’ the statement from Chiggai read in part.
Chiggai, at the same time, decried the instances involving domestic violence that have in the past been difficult to track and report in a bid to put to an end the occurrence.
‘’Despite the work of local and state agencies to better educate and protect women from serialised Gender Based Violence(GBV), instances of partner violence continue to be reported in Kenya.’’ Chiggai added.
The President’s Advisor also revealed that cases of GBV affected children living in hazardous and volatile domestic settings.
She, as a result, called on the need to protect women and children from the instances of violence which she revealed affected about 34 percent of women from the young age of 15.
‘’With approximately 34 percent of Kenyan women experiencing physical and or sexual violence from the tender age of 15 years, we recognize that as a society we need to do better to protect women and girls,’’ she noted.
Chiggai also revealed that the Ministry of Sports was already working on mechanisms to prevent cases of athletes being a high profile target in domestic violence.
She further implored the law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice will be served to the families of the athletes who have died as a result of domestic violence.
‘’We urge the relevant law enforcement agencies and legal offices to ensure that justice is served to the families of Rebecca, Agnes Tirop, Damaris Mutua and other victims of Gender Based Violence,’’ she urged.
Chiggai maintained that as a government, they are committed to ending all forms of gender violence by creating changes across all concerned sectors.
Cheptegei died after she was set on fire by her lover, a footballer. Owen Menach, the head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, revealed that the burns she suffered were so severe that all her organs failed, leading to her death.
