Bukwo, Uganda AP —Thousands of mourners in Uganda paid respects to Rebecca Cheptegei, the Olympic athlete who died last week in Kenya after her partner set her on fire, at a military funeral in a remote town near the Kenyan border. Military officers played a prominent role in the funeral because Cheptegei held the rank of sergeant in Uganda’s army, said military spokesman Brig. According to a report filed by the local chief, they quarreled over a piece of land the athlete bought in Kenya. Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in a worrying pattern of gender-based violence in recent years. Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, finishing in 44th place, less than a month before the attack.

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Persons: Rebecca Cheptegei, Cheptegei, Felix Kulayigye, Abubaker Lubowa, Dickson Ndiema, Ndiema, Janet Museveni, Don Rukare Organizations: Uganda AP, Olympic, Military, Uganda People's Defence Forces, Reuters, AP, Cheptegei, National Council of Sports, Kenyan, Health Survey, Paris Olympics Locations: Bukwo, Uganda, Kenya, Kenyan, Nzoia County, East, Eldoret, Kapchorwa, Kenya’s