Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died after being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya, according to Uganda’s Olympic Committee chief, Donald Rukare, on Thursday.
Cheptegei, 33, sustained burns on 80 percent of her body. The acting head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Rift Valley, reported that all her organs failed on Wednesday night.
Police identified Dickson Ndiema Marangach as Cheptegei’s partner and alleged that he doused her with petrol and set her on fire during an attack at her home in Endebess, Trans-Nzoia county, on Sunday.
The tragic incident occurred shortly after Cheptegei competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th. Kenyan media reported that one of her daughters witnessed the assault and attempted to get help, but efforts to extinguish the flames were unsuccessful.
Marangach also suffered burns, with 30 percent of his body affected. This assault follows the recent deaths of other athletes in similar circumstances: Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, Kenya, two years ago, and Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death in 2021. Her estranged husband is currently on trial for her murder, which he denies.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, published in January 2023, 34 percent of women in Kenya have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
