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Angry reactions continue to pour in over the heartbreaking news of Ugandan Olympic star being set on fire by ex-boyfriend.
Lots of livid reactions have overwhelmed the social media space following the news of Ugandan Olympic star Rebecca Cheptegei being in critical condition in a Kenyan hospital after being reportedly set ablaze by her ex-boyfriend.
Cheptegei was attacked at her home in western Kenya, where she had been training, and has suffered burns to more than 75% of her body with the doctors at the hospital battling to save her life, describing the burn as serious.
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13:29 - 03.09.2024
Uganda's Olympic star Cheptegei in critical condition after being set on fire by ex-partner
Olympic marathon Ugandan star Rebecca Cheptegei has sustained serious injuries from being set ablaze by her ex-partner after a serious argument over a piece of land.
It's reported that the alleged attacker also sustained severe burns, as stated by the local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom in his statement to journalists, and the two are being treated at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the main town in the region.
“The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Mr Kosiom was quoted as saying.
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Residents of the area told the media that the two engaged in a quarrel before they heard a loud burn at the house she was attacked.
Cheptegei is a Ugandan long-distance and marathon runner who represented her country at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the women's marathon event.
The 33-year-old has been running since 2010 and won gold at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.
Online reactions to Rebecca Cheptegei's sad case
Following this heartbreaking news, angry reactions have engulfed the social media space, especially on X, as the recent cases of female athletes facing violence from their partners are now becoming worrisome with actions needing to be taken fast.
An X user said: "When will women be free? Another Olympian attacked by an intimate partner this week. It's time for society to prioritize women's safety and enforce strict consequences."
A second user stated: "Violence against women is now at an all time high."
Another said: "A story about increasing cases of intimate partner attacks/femicide that ends with this: ‘Men have also been targeted. Last December, another Ugandan athlete, Benjamin Kiplagat was stabbed to death by assailants in Eldoret.’"
A feminist summed up the situation in a simple sentence: "Women cannot continue to live and die this way. Something has to happen."
An X user reinstated that payback is the best justice in situations like this: "I think we need to bring back the "an eye for an eye" kind of justice because this is disturbing and very very unfair (in all ramifications) to the victim."
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