The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who fatally attacked her by setting her on fire, has died from burn injuries sustained during the incident, according to a Kenyan hospital official.
Dickson Ndiema ambushed Cheptegei, a marathon runner, as she returned home from church over a week ago. He doused her in petrol and set her ablaze. Authorities reported that the two had been in a dispute over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.
Ndiema succumbed to his injuries on Monday night while in the intensive care unit, suffering from burns covering more than 30% of his body.
“It’s true he has died from the burn injuries,” Dr. Owen Menach of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret confirmed to the BBC.
Cheptegei, who sustained 80% burns, died last Thursday, four days after the attack. Neighbors reported hearing her screams before she ran toward them, pleading for help.
Local media revealed that Ndiema snuck into Cheptegei’s home in Trans Nzoia County with a five-litre container of petrol before the attack. He reportedly caught fire as he splashed her with the fuel.
Police were treating Cheptegei’s death as a murder, with Ndiema as the primary suspect. Both were admitted to Moi Hospital after the incident, where they later died.
Cheptegei’s death has sent shockwaves globally, with many in Uganda mourning her as an inspiration. The 33-year-old Olympian is the third athlete to be murdered in Kenya in the last three years, with intimate partners identified as key suspects in each case.
In 2021, world record-holder Agnes Tirop was fatally stabbed, and six months later, Damaris Mutua was strangled.
Cheptegei, born near the Kenya-Uganda border, chose to represent Uganda in athletics after failing to find success in Kenya. She joined the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008, rising to the rank of sergeant.
Her career highlights include competing in this year’s Paris Olympics, where she placed 44th in the marathon, and winning gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand. Locals affectionately called her a “champion.”
Cheptegei will be laid to rest on Saturday at her ancestral home in Bukwo, Uganda.
Rising violence against women in Kenya has become a significant concern. A 2022 national survey found that at least 34% of women had experienced physical violence.
