OBITUARY
Alleged killer of Ugandan Olympian dies after being set ablaze
The former partner of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who is accused of killing her by dousing her in petrol and setting her on fire, has died from burns sustained during the attack, the Kenyan hospital where he was being treated said on Tuesday.
Cheptegei, 33, who competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, suffered burns to more than 75% of her body in the Sept. 1 attack and died four days later.
Her former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, died at 7:50 p.m. (1650 GMT) on Monday, said Daniel Lang’at, a spokesperson at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret in western Kenya, where Cheptegei was also treated and died.
“He died from his injuries, the burns he sustained,” Lang’at told Reuters. Local media reported that he had suffered 30% burns when he assaulted Cheptegei as she was returning home from church with her children.
Cheptegei, who finished 44th in Paris, is the third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. Her death has put the spotlight on domestic violence in the East African country, particularly within its running community.
Rights groups say female athletes in Kenya, where many international runners train in the high-altitude highlands, are at a high risk of exploitation and violence at the hands of men drawn to their prize money, which far exceeds local incomes.
“Justice really would have been for him to sit in jail and think about what he had done. This is not positive news whatsoever,” said Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a support group for survivors of domestic violence in Kenya’s athletic community.
“The shock of Rebecca’s death is still fresh,” Cheptoo told Reuters.
Cheptoo co-founded Tirop’s Angels in memory of Agnes Tirop, a rising star in Kenya’s highly competitive athletics scene, who was found dead in her home in the town of Iten in October 2021, with multiple stab wounds to the neck.
Ibrahim Rotich, Tirop’s husband, was charged with her murder and has pleaded not guilty. The case is ongoing.
Nearly 34% of Kenyan girls and women aged 15-49 years have suffered physical violence, according to government data from 2022, with married women at particular risk. The 2022 survey found that 41% of married women had faced violence.
Globally, a woman is killed by someone in her own family every 11 minutes, according to a 2023 UN Women study.
-Reuters
Nigerian football legend, Segun Odegbami who has been at the forefront of the life-saving efforts for former Nigerian international goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, has broken the sad news of the goalkeeper.
He announced that Fregene passed on, aged 77, surrounded by his wife and two of his children.
“A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who has been on life support for the past one week, passed on to meet his creator. He died quietly in the presence of two of his children and his devoted wife, Tina,” Odegbami wrote on Sunday.
Fregene, was a member of the Nigerian team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. He last played for Nigeria on 13 March 1982 when Nigeria lost 3-0 to Zambia in a Group B AFCON match in Benghazi.
For years, he had been battling with illness and spent the last week on life-support.
Moroccan Journalist, great expert on sports, poet with a sharp pen and above all a precursor of press cartoons in Morocco, Belaïd Bouimid passed away on Monday.
According to Moroccan publication, 360 Sport, Bouimid passed on after a long and courageous fight against illness. He was 75 years old.
He was reportedly admitted to at a clinic in Casablanca where he underwent yet another surgical operation after his health deteriorated. Belaïd Bouimid was used to getting back up. But not this time. The dean of Moroccan journalists, a true big brother to all sports journalists in the country, he passed away on Monday, September 23, 2024 at the age of 75.
Throughout his career, he distinguished himself not only through his expertise and love for sports but also through his intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.
He was not just a journalist but a deeply cultured man, attuned to the evolving artistic, literary, and cultural landscapes. His sports analyses were often enriched with cultural references, giving him a unique and original perspective.
His humanity, sharp mind, and insightful view of the world inspired many generations, whether in the editorial offices or the artistic circles he cherished so much.
“Really sad. ” That was the first reaction of Mitchell Obi, the immediate past president of continental sports writing body, AIPS-Africa, after learning of the passage of Belaid Bouimid, the dean of sports journalists in Morocco.
Continuing, Obi remarked: “The exit of a reliable and splendid voice. Unforgettable times with a friend who gave his utmost to lift the African sporting press.
“Belaid was brilliant in his communication style and he created laughter from nothing. Simple, self effacing but deeply functional.
“He remains my President and Africa will cherish the sterling contributions of one who truly launched AIPS Africa from its heritage of ASJU.
“A companion for all seasons, my tearful heart goes to the family and friends in Casablanca, Morocco and beyond.
All that goes returns. Rest well Belaid Boumid … you left us with plenty to remember you by.”
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