Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced major reforms for female athletes who will represent Kenya at future events.
Speaking in Uganda, where he was attending the burial of slain Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei in Bukwo district near the Kenya-Uganda border, Murkomen admitted there was much to be done to safeguard the interests of athletes.
The Cabinet Secretary further pledged that his ministry would put in place measures and introduce safeguards to ensure preventable calamities are prevented.
“Her death, which shook not just Uganda and the athletics community but the entire East African region, should prick our conscience to do more to end gender-based violence in sports, and we shall do it.”
CS Murkomen at Rebecca Cheptegei’s Funeral
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In the post, CS Murkomen recalled the grim reality that faces female athletes in Kenya.
“Sadly, Cheptegei’s death wasn’t the first such tragedy in Kenya. One previous case – that of world record holder Agnes Tirop – led to the creation of a committee on Gender-Based Violence in sports.” He tweeted.
In this light, Murkomen announced that going forward, Kenya will ensure there’s a female matron for women’s teams heading to national, continental, and international competitions. Currently, technical benches ordinarily feature an all-male technical team.
He also promised further reforms for women in the sports sector. “Among the key measures is the mainstreaming of psychosocial support for athletes and requiring that female sports camps be run by women, with men only offering support.”
Present at the burial were Ugandan government officials led by Sports Minister Peter Ogwang and Nandi Governor Stephen Sang from Kenya.
CS Murkomen stressed the need to provide a safe environment for female athletes as they strive to maximize their talent. “We must implement these recommendations to create a safe environment where athletes can thrive.”
Murkomen mourned the late Cheptegei as a loving mother and friend to many. ” She had worked hard and catapulted herself to international glory, only for her dreams to be cut short by a vicious attack from someone she knew.”
On 6th September, the issue of violence against female athletes prompted the United Nations to issue a statement. Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, highlighted the gravity of the issue during a briefing in New York, calling Cheptegei’s murder “a tragic reflection of a much bigger problem.” He added, “Every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member somewhere in the world. This must stop.”
The 33-year-old marathoner died in the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital after suffering burns on 80 percent of her body. The man responsible, Dickson Ndiema, reportedly doused her in gasoline and set her on fire following a quarrel over a piece of land she had bought.
Her family changed her burial plans after the severity of her burns forced a rethink of burial timelines.
“We have changed the plans because the body can not stay two days out of the morgue before burial,” her father told the press on Thursday.
Rebecca Cheptegei running during a past marathon.
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UAF
