news

African Olympian dies after boyfriend sets her on fire — RT Africa

VaselineSeptember 6, 2024

0 2 minutes read

African Olympian dies after boyfriend sets her on fire — RT Africa

Ugandan Rebecca Cheptegei suffered burns over 80% of her body and died from organ failure, doctors said

A Ugandan runner who recently competed in the Paris Olympics has died after her ex-boyfriend doused her with gasoline and set her on fire, authorities in the East African country said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Athletics Federation (UAF) announced that Rebecca Cheptegei had suffered severe burns as a result of Sunday’s attack and had been admitted to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… who was tragically a victim of domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice,” UAF wrote this on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

According to authorities in Kenya’s western Trans-Nzoia province, where Cheptegei lived, she was attacked by her Kenyan ex-lover after returning home from church with her two daughters.

Kenyan newspaper The Standard quoted Kimani Mbugua, head of the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching Hospital, as saying the 33-year-old athlete, who finished 44th in Paris, died of “multi-organ failure.”

For only a few weeks you represented our nation @Paris2024 in the women’s marathon race and the whole country was full of excitement and now today we cry for your painful death. We hope for justice as @GovUganda and the Kenyan government is taking care of this. Rest in peace Rebecca💔💔💝 photo.twitter.com/9MVCqUYoG8

— UGANDA ATHLETICS FEDERATION🇺🇬🇺🇬 UAF (@UgaAthletics2) September 5, 2024

“Her injuries were extensive and covered most parts of her body. We tried our best but were not successful. Given her age and the more than 80% burns she had sustained, the hope of recovery was slim,” According to the news agency, Mbugua told reporters this.

Cheptegei’s attacker – identified as Dickson Ndiema Marangach – was also injured in the incident and was admitted to intensive care with 30% burns, local media reported, citing doctors at the same hospital.

A police report cited by local media revealed that the couple was “had a constant family feud over a piece of land.”

According to the BBC, Cheptegei, who is originally from Uganda, bought a plot of land in Trans Nzoia County and built a house in Endebess, close to Kenya’s athletics training centres.

READ MORE:
Kenyan murder suspect extradited to US

Her father Joseph Cheptegei told reporters that the property was the source of their problems. Police said an investigation was underway.

The Olympian is the third high-profile female athlete to be murdered in Kenya in recent years. A 2022 nationwide survey found that at least 34% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 had been physically abused.

In October 2021, Agnes Tirop, a two-time bronze medallist at the World Athletics Championships, was found stabbed to death in her home in the town of Iten. The 25-year-old’s husband, who was accused of murder, has pleaded not guilty in the ongoing case. Six months later, in April 2022, another Kenyan athlete, Damaris Mutua, was also found dead in the same town, with her partner believed to be involved.

On Thursday, Ugandan First Lady Janet Museveni said: “The tragic death of Cheptegei as a result of domestic violence is deeply disturbing.”

Kenyan Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said in a statement that the “The tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which is increasingly affecting even elite sport.”