News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee / 10th September 2024
According to a Kenyan medical official, the former boyfriend of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei from Uganda, who killed her by setting her on fire, passed away from burns he received in the attack.
More than a week ago, Dickson Ndiema assaulted the marathon runner as she was walking home from church, doused her in gasoline, and set her ablaze.
According to local administration, Cheptegei lived and trained on a small plot of land in northwest Kenya, which was the source of their disagreement.
Ndiema, who had been taken to the intensive care unit with more than 30% of his body burned, passed away on Monday night there.
“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.
Prior to the deadly incident, local media said that Ndiema broke into Cheptegei’s house in Trans Nzoia county, western Kenya, carrying a five-liter jerry can full of gasoline.
After aiming for Cheptegei, he apparently got doused in fuel and became engulfed in the flames while lighting her on fire.
Police indicated that they were treating Cheptegei’s death as murder and that Ndiema will be charged, with the former boyfriend being the primary suspect.
Prior to their deaths, they were both admitted to Moi Hospital. The world was shocked to learn about Cheptegei’s death.
Cheptegei was born in Kenya, but after failing to succeed in Kenya, she decided to become a representative for Uganda and follow her dream of becoming an athlete.
She joined the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008 after taking up running, and she eventually attained the rank of sergeant.
She participated in the Olympics in Paris this year as part of her career. People in her hometown referred to her as “champion” even though she finished the marathon in 44th place.
At her ancestral home in Bukwo, Uganda, Cheptegei is scheduled to be buried this coming Saturday.
In Kenya, attacks on women have grown to be a serious problem. In 2022, a nationwide poll revealed that at least 34% of women reported having been victims of physical abuse.
