The former partner of Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei from Uganda has died from injuries sustained during the fatal attack against the athlete.
The 33-year-old Cheptegei died from multiple organ failure last week in a Kenyan hospital, a few days after suffering burns over 80% of her body when her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire during an argument.
Ndiema also suffered severe burns and was rushed to the same hospital, where Kenyan police stated he would be detained once he recovered enough from his injuries. However, officials from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital confirmed this morning that Ndiema succumbed to his injuries late last night, according to the Kenyan newspaper The Star.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, stated after his daughter’s murder that the two had been arguing over a land dispute in Endebes shortly before the horrific attack. Before Ndiema’s death, Joseph Cheptegei expressed frustration that the man who killed his daughter had not been arrested while in the hospital. “As it stands, the criminal who harmed my daughter is a murderer, and I have yet to see what security officials are doing,” he said.
Cheptegei, just 33 years old, sustained severe burns over 80% of her body after the attack. She was immediately taken to the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where doctors worked tirelessly to stabilize her. Despite their best efforts, hospital director Dr. Owen Menach confirmed last week that she did not survive. “Unfortunately, we lost her,” the doctor said, leaving her family and loved ones devastated.
One of Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the horrific attack and described to Kenya’s The Standard newspaper how the assailant kicked her while she tried to save her mother. This brutal scene highlights the violence and cruelty of the act that shocked the community.
How the crime happened
The attack took place at Cheptegei’s home in western Kenya, in Trans Nzoia County, near the Ugandan border. The athlete had recently moved there to be closer to better training facilities. The local police commander stated that her ex-partner bought gasoline, doused her with it, and set her on fire during an argument.
Marathon runner and career in the armed forces
Cheptegei was born in Kenya, near the Ugandan border, but chose to represent Uganda as her athletic career began to take off.
A former sergeant in Uganda’s People’s Defence Forces, she showed talent in endurance running and decided to compete in marathons and other long-distance events at the highest level.
In 2022, she won the gold medal in the uphill and downhill race at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand.
Cheptegei also won the Padua Marathon in Italy earlier that year before finishing second in the Abu Dhabi Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 47 seconds — the second-fastest time ever recorded by a Ugandan woman.
