Suspect in Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei’s fatal burning dies from injuries

Dickson Ndiema, the man accused of fatally burning Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, has died from injuries sustained during the attack.

Local authorities reported that Ndiema, who was Cheptegei’s ex-boyfriend, succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

The tragic incident occurred on September 1 in western Trans Nzoia County, Nairobi, where Ndiema allegedly doused Cheptegei in petrol and set her ablaze as she was returning home from church.

The 33-year-old athlete suffered severe burns over 80 percent of her body and was receiving treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, where she passed away on September 5.

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Ndiema, who also suffered burns during the attack, was admitted to the same hospital. Initially, his injuries were considered less critical, but his condition deteriorated, leading to his death.

According to reports from local authorities, the ex-lovers had been embroiled in a dispute over a piece of land. Cheptegei, who resided in Kenya, represented Uganda in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing 44th in the event.

This incident marks the third time in three years that an elite sportswoman has been killed in Kenya. In 2021, Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten, with her husband named as the suspect.

The following year, Damaris Mutua, another Kenyan-born athlete, was discovered dead in a house in Iten, with her then-boyfriend also identified as a suspect.