Some awful facts from East Africa on violence (murder) against or involving runners. In three years in Kenya and Ethiopia, six killings involving elite runners.
September 2024 - Kenya - Ugandan Olympic runner, Rebecca Cheptegei, dies after being doused with petrol and set alight by her boyfriend following an argument about finances and property.
December 2023 – Kenya - Ugandan Olympic runner, Benjamin Kiplagat, was murdered when his throat was cut in a suspected robbery where money and a cell phone were taken.
August 2023 – Kenya - Rwandan runner, Sragi Rubayita, was killed in what police believe was a fight with another athlete over a woman.
August 2022 – Ethiopia - Besu Sado, Ethiopian Olympic Runner pleads guilty, to the murder of her spouse, Teshale Tamru. The athlete, her two brothers, & two other suspects were charged with murdering Tamru after an argument over money.
April 2022 – Kenya – Kenya born runner who competed for Bahrain, Damaris Muthee Mutua, was strangled to death. Her Ethiopian boyfriend who was also a runner based in Kenya was wanted in connection with her death.
October 2021 - Kenya - Two-time cross country world champion, Agnes Tirop, was fatally stabbed in her home in Iten. Her husband was charged with her murder.
The case of Cheptegei, Sado, Mutua and Tirop involve Intimate Partner Violence and appear to feature arguments around who controls resources, the earnings of female runners, or insecurities in men around the freedoms running brought these female runners.
In traditional African society, men are perceived to be the head of the household, a notion rooted in a combination of historical, cultural, and social factors.
Many African societies have long standing patriarchal structures where men have traditionally held positions of authority and decision-making roles. This is often reinforced through social norms, customs, and legal frameworks. In traditional African cultures, specific roles are ascribed to men and women, often based on historical labour divisions.
Men have typically been seen as providers and protectors, while women have been associated with nurturing and domestic responsibilities. Men are often positioned as heads of families to maintain lineage and property within the male line, reinforcing their leadership status.
In many traditional African communities, men are expected to make critical decisions regarding family welfare, finances, and community relations. This expectation can marginalize women's voices in leadership roles. Religious or spiritual beliefs that elevate male figures in leadership roles, further entrench this perception of male authority.
Many female runners from Africa become emancipated as a result of their running, they experience other cultures which are less patriarchal, where women have freedoms to make their own decisions, and they earn money through their running that provided them with economic independence.
Although the root cause of this intimate partner violence may be complicated, I am sure that the desire of these female runners to make their own life decisions and their newfound financial independence are key factors. The challenge for sport and for African society is how do we change the perspectives of men, address their toxic form of masculinity and change attitudes to prevent this gender-based violence.
This article by Alexis Okeowo published in The New Yorker provides some interesting insights into two of these cases.
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