Anniversary of Female Kenyan Runner’s Death Sheds Light on Femicide
Last month marked one year since the killing of Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan Olympic runner murdered by her former boyfriend in Kenya. As one of four female runners murdered by male intimate partners in Kenya since 2021, Cheptegei’s tragic death emphasizes the wider epidemic of gender-based violence in the country.
Cheptegei was one of 97 victims of femicide, defined by the UN as intentional killing with a gender-related motivation, in the three-month span surrounding her murder. The violence extends beyond murder, as 40 percent of Kenyan women report experiencing emotional, psychological, or physical abuse from a partner, and another third of women between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical violence.
Kenyan law enforcement has remained largely unresponsive to reports of gender-based violence, enabling abusers to act without consequence. According to Cheptegei’s family, she alerted the police three times prior to her death of abuse at the hands of her ex-partner, who died from burns sustained after dousing Cheptegei in gasoline and setting her on fire.
Lack of police action follows both gaps in the legal system and patriarchal social norms in Kenya. The government has made efforts to curb and raise awareness surrounding gender-based violence, but spousal rape remains criminally unrecognized, and women reportedly enjoy only 81 percent of the rights held by men. Bail for all criminal acts is rarely denied, even when there is evidence that a perpetrator still presents a threat to others, as reported by organizations working with sexual assault survivors. Not only does this put women in danger, but it also invalidates their fears and lived experiences. The Kenyan government, while on paper vowing to root out such violence and support victims, often fails to do so in practice.
Patriarchal attitudes and unequal distributions of power between men and women also compound the issue. Kenya’s deeply patriarchal norms normalize male dominance in families and relationships. Cultural ideas of women being subordinate to men justify power imbalances and normalize sexual violence by creating a stigma of shame around women who are abused, leading many not to tell authorities of their abuse. This is especially evident in rural areas, where shaming by the community can result in a loss of upward mobility and resources.
Bribery received by law enforcement, families, and magistrates also prevents perpetrators from facing justice. Minimum sentencing laws, although originally intended to deliver just punishments, frequently result in motivating offenders to escape years of prison time by paying bribes to the families of women they harmed. Such corruption also extends to the justice system, in which police and magistrates receive payments to prevent criminal prosecutions.
Legal reform and cultural change will be slow, but both are necessary for accountability. Bills take months to years to move through the Kenyan legislative process, and dismantling deeply rooted beliefs ingrained in the country’s social fabric cannot be accomplished overnight. Alarmingly, a study from 2008 found that over two-thirds of Kenyan men believed intimate partner violence was justifiable towards women who deviated from domestic duties. Yet steps can be taken to prevent further deaths and ensure justice for victims.
However, momentum for reform is rebuilding. Within the past couple of years, pressure has mounted on the Kenyan government to respond to the gender-based violence crisis by means of demonstrations in various cities across the country. In December, hundreds rallied in Nairobi and were met by tear gas from police. Since then, President William Ruto has formed a task force, the Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, to examine and amend gaps within Kenya’s legal system. Ruto has also pledged $700,000 to end femicide.
Government action is essential for change, but supporting Kenyans on the ground is needed for permanent results. The same study found that education reduced men’s likelihood of justifying intimate partner violence towards women, but education’s benefits extend to all members of Kenyan society. Educating men helps prevent misogynistic attitudes, and educating women ensures that they do not have to depend on a male provider and can support themselves if they need to escape an unsafe home environment. Yet education is not the entire solution because systemic inequality reinforced dependence. For women and girls who rely on a male breadwinner to pay for their schooling, resisting sexual violence can lead to dues being withdrawn, especially if the abuser pays them.
Poverty reinforced this cycle. As of 2022, a quarter of Kenyans are impoverished, while another quarter are at risk of impoverishment. Women lack the same access to education, healthcare, and employment as men, leaving them in a weaker economic position and increasing their chances of abuse. For sexual and physical violence to decrease, women must become equal to men on the economic playing field. The country has already seen a marked decrease in its poverty rate, a drop from 43.6 percent in 2005 to 35.6 percent in 2015, by investing in infrastructure, increasing education, and offering more job opportunities in rural areas. If this momentum continues, women will be better able to escape abusive environments and achieve financial independence.
Cheptegei’s murder exemplifies how misogyny, complacent authorities, and poverty combine to violate, shame, and even potentially enable murder. By changing antiquated attitudes and amending social and legal discrepancies, Kenya has the potential to become a society where women’s participation in the public sphere is an unquestioned truth that is not up for debate.