Another Woman Athlete Killed in Kenya

Romanian athlete ConstantinaTomescu (R/53) leads the field in the female category of The 13th IAAF World Half Marathon past India Gate, New Delhi, 03 October 2004. Tomescu fin

PRAKASH SINGH/2004 AFP

Africa News with AP

Another female runner has been killed in the high-altitude Kenyan training town of Iten over the weekend.

Kenyan police confirmed the news on Tuesday, adding that a search is on for the athlete's boyfriend, who is suspected of the murder.

The boyfriend, identified as Ethiopian runner Koki Fai is believed to have fled the country, according to Keiyo County police chief Tom Maruko.

Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born distance runner who competed for Bahrain, was found dead at the home of her boyfriend.

Mutua's death echoes the killing of Olympic runner and two-time world championship bronze medalist Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death at her home in Iten in October.

Tirop's partner was arrested and has been charged with murder, while her death prompted many in Kenya's running community to speak out and hold protests against what they say is a deep-rooted problem of domestic violence against female athletes in Kenya.