Ex-partner who killed Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies from burnson September 10, 2024 at 9:36 am

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Rebecca Cheptegei was set alight and later died after Dickson Ndiema ambushed her near her home.

Reuters Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei in action during the women's marathon finalReuters

The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who killed her by setting her on fire, has himself died from burns sustained in the attack, a Kenyan hospital official has said.

Dickson Ndiema ambushed the marathon runner as she returned home from church more than a week ago and then doused her with petrol and set her ablaze.

Local administrators said the two had been in conflict over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.

Ndiema died on Monday night at the intensive care unit where he had been admitted with more than 30% burns on his body.

“It’s true he has died from the [burn] injuries,” Dr Owen Menach from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the town of Eldoret told the BBC.

Ms Cheptegei died last Thursday from 80% burns she sustained during the attack four days earlier.

Neighbours said that they heard screams before Cheptegei came running towards them shouting for help.

Ndiema was to face charges as police said they were treating Cheptegei’s death as murder, with the former boyfriend named as the main suspect.

Both of them were admitted to Moi Hospital before their deaths.

The 33-year-old Olympian was the third athlete to be killed in Kenya in the last three years, where intimate partners were named as the main suspects by police.

In 2021, world-record holder Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death and six months later Damaris Mutua was strangled.

Cheptegei was born on the Kenyan side of the Kenya-Uganda border, but chose to cross over and represent Uganda to chase her athletics dream when she did not get a breakthrough in Kenya.

When she started getting into running, she joined the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008 and rose to sergeant rank.

Her career included competing in this year’s Paris Olympics. Although she came 44th in the marathon, people in her home area called her “champion”.

Cheptegei is set to be buried on Saturday at her ancestral home in Bukwo, Uganda.

Attacks on women have become a major concern in Kenya. In 2022 at least 34% of women said they had experienced physical violence, according to a national survey.

Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

@BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

Electricity and drought killing white storkson August 27, 2022 at 11:11 pm

The extreme heat this summer has exacerbated the many hazards, leading to a sudden spike in deaths in Hungary.The extreme heat this summer has...

World Cup, Commonwealth Games – what else lies in store for women’s rugby union in 2022?on January 3, 2022 at 8:16 am

The next 12 months promise to be intriguing on and off the pitch as the global game gears up again after a Covid-enforced pause...

The Papers: ‘Let’s bring it home!’ and ‘one game from glory’on July 9, 2021 at 10:23 pm

Saturday's papers look ahead to Sunday's Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.

Women’s World Cup: ‘Sensational!’ – Matthews takes brilliant catch to remove Sharmaon March 12, 2022 at 2:26 am

West Indies' Hayley Matthews takes a "sensational" catch at first slip to remove India's Deepti Sharma during their Women's World Cup match in Hamilton.

The Papers: Energy cap plans and ‘Sanction Iran over Rushdie’on August 13, 2022 at 11:30 pm

Proposals to reduce coming hikes in energy costs and a call by Rishi Sunak for sanctions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard lead the papersProposals to...