It is time to lift the lid on abuse of women in Kenya
Death of world record holder has given me courage to speak out and create support network for female athletes
Iwas shocked to learn of Agnes Tirop’s death. As a fellow Kenyan athlete, it was heartbreaking to hear that a young woman, at the height of her sporting career, had been killed.
Whatever the outcome of the police investigation and any criminal proceedings, I believe now is the time to lift the lid on a wider societal problem in Kenya of abuse, including domestic abuse, of women.
It was only a few days before Agnes’s death, when I was preparing for the Boston Marathon, that I was talking to other athletes about how women are suffering in silence. There are so many cases like this.
In the period following Agnes’s tragic death, I found the courage to post openly on social media about this situation. It was my way of saying sorry to her family for their loss, and a way of expressing my anger. I was letting the world know how a culture of abuse has festered in Kenyan athletics.
It begins when girls are scouted at a young age, plucked from their villages and promised food, a home, paid school fees, sneakers and the opportunity to train with a group of other athletes at full-time camps. After months or years living there – often far away from their families – there are cases where male coaches or pacers start to act like the young women owe them something when they begin to have success.
There is a level of grooming that takes place, and marriages are not uncommon in these situations.
The men can see that these girls have a potentially lucrative future in athletics. They will feel that if they groom and develop the women to become a world champion, they are entitled to their success in the sport. I see it so often where a husband treats their wife as a slave with their earnings, and uses domestic abuse to manipulate and control them.
There are so many untold stories of Kenyan female athletes who don’t get to see their own prize money without their partner’s permission, and who have no direct communication with their agents unless their husband is present.
The husband will do all these negotiations and contract talks, decide where they race next and even stop them from socialising with other athletes, or exploring the cities where they are competing around the world.
Since speaking up last week, and using the hashtag #Notyourproperty on my social posts, I’ve had men from Kenya commenting: “If I paid a bride price for my wife, she belongs to me.”
It is a very outdated and dangerous way of thinking, which we need to help change.
My plan now, along with a group of other Kenyan runners, is to create a network for female athletes in the country called the Women’s Athlete Alliance. I want there to be an online space where we both celebrate stories and also provide a platform for women to reach out when they are in trouble.
We have already heard from one organisation that provides counselling to women in abusive relationships in Kenya offering to help us develop the idea.
Along with other runners, we will provide mentoring for young girls, including those who have already been scouted and have dreams of competing on the international stage, and provide them with a safe space for advice.
Growing up, I had a supportive family, a father who did not treat me differently from my brothers, and a healthy training environment at my camp. Travelling the world has helped me, too. Now living and training in Leeds, I see how women are treated. It has made me think that I can have better relationships and be treated better.
The support from women everywhere since going public with this idea to help youngsters in Kenya has been amazing.
I have spoken to so many people – British sprinters Dina Ashersmith and Jodie Williams have reached out, as has American long-jumper Tianna Bartoletta.
I feared that others might see this only as a Kenyan problem, and that others wouldn’t take notice. But I have been touched by how much these top athletes care about it. I was scared and afraid to put my voice out there – because I’ve not done anything like this before – but for those sportswomen to say they would be there for me gave me hope that we can make a change.