Ugandan athlete Cheptegei dies 5 days after her partner set her on fire

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, who recently competed in the 10,000-meter race at the Paris Olympics, died in a hospital on Thursday, five days after her partner set fire to her home in western Trans Nzoia County, Kenya.

Owen Menach, director of Clinical Services at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, confirmed her death to the media on Thursday morning.

Jeremiah Ole Kosiom, Trans Nzoia County police commander, told the media that she was doused with petrol and set ablaze on Sunday during a dispute with her partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach.

Marangach also suffered burns in the incident and is being treated at the same hospital.

Cheptegei received 80% burns and was rushed to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, where she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

There have been previous incidents of violence against female athletes in the region.

Agnes Tirop, a Kenyan long-distance runner, was stabbed to death at her home in Iten in Oct. 2021 by her husband.

Damaris Muthee Mutua, another Kenyan long-distance runner, was found dead at her house in Iten in April 2022. Her Ethiopian boyfriend, who was suspected of her murder, was later discovered dead in Ethiopia.