Thousands of mourners in Uganda paid their tribute to Rebecca Cheptegei, an Olympic athlete who died in Kenya last week after being set on fire by her former boyfriend.
A military funeral took place in a remote village near the Kenyan border.
Military officials took an active role in the funeral since Cheptegei was a sergeant in Uganda’s army, according to military spokesman who added that she deserved a “gun salute that befits her rank.”
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Athletes, family members and others delivered their eulogies before thousands in a sports field in the district of Bukwo.
Cheptegei died after her body suffered 80% burns in the attack by Dickson Ndiema, a former boyfriend who doused her in gasoline at her home in western Kenya’s Trans-Nzoia County on September 3rd.
Ndiema also sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed to his injuries.
According to a report filed by the local chief, they quarreled over a piece of land the athlete bought in Kenya.
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