Ugandan athlete Cheptegei dies after fire attack by boyfriend

NAIROBI: Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died in Kenya on Thursday, four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend in an attack in her home.

It was the latest horrific incident of gender-based violence in the East African country, where activists have warned of a femicide epidemic.

The 33-year-old long distance runner died at about 5:30 am (0230 GMT), the doctor treating her at a hospital in Eldoret in western Kenya told reporters.

“Her injuries were extensive and covered most parts of her body. It led to multiple organ failure,” said Kimani Mbugua, head of the intensive care unit at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

“We tried our best but we did not succeed. Looking at her age and the over 80 percent burns she suffered, the hope of recovery was slim.”

According to police, a man identified as Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, doused her with petrol and set her alight on Sunday at her home in Endebess in the western county of Trans-Nzoia.

Kenyan media reports said her two young daughters had witnessed the brutal assault.

It took place just weeks after Cheptegei had taken part in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she was placed 44th.

Marangach was also injured in the incident, sustaining 30 percent burns. His current condition is not known.

‘Cowardly and senseless act’

The attack on Cheptegei made global headlines and has been widely condemned, while tributes poured in from the athletics community on Thursday.

Uganda Olympic Committee chief Donald Rukare said she had died “following a vicious attack by her boyfriend”.

“This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure.”

The Uganda Athletics Federation said on X it was “deeply saddened” by the death of Cheptegei, “who tragically fell victim to domestic violence”.

“As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice.”

The Kenya National Olympic Committee said it extended its “deepest condolences” to the Ugandan athletics community and Cheptegei’s family and friends, describing her death as a “profound loss”.

“Rebecca’s talent and perseverance as Uganda’s Women’s Marathon record holder and a Paris 2024 Olympian will always be remembered and celebrated.”

Police said Marangach had sneaked into Cheptegei’s home near the border with Uganda on Sunday afternoon while she was at church with her two children.

A police report said they were a couple who “constantly had family wrangles”.

Her father Joseph Cheptegei told reporters Thursday that the property where she lived with her sister and two daughters was the “source of the problems” between the pair.

He had told Kenyan media earlier this week that Marangach had bought five litres of petrol and hid out in a chicken coop before the attack.

“He poured the petrol and lit her on fire. When she called her sister to help, he threatened her with a machete and she ran away.”

‘I cried for help’

Kenya’s The Standard newspaper reported that Cheptegei’s daughters had witnessed the assault.

“He kicked me while I tried to run to the rescue of my mother,” it reported one of the girls as saying.

“I immediately cried out for help, attracting a neighbour who tried to extinguish the flames with water, but it was not possible.”

The attack has again thrown a spotlight on domestic violence in Kenya.

Njeri Wa Migwi, who founded Usikimye, an organisation that fights gender-based violence, said of Cheptegei’s death: “Yes this is Femicide. We must end Femicide.”

The assault comes two years after Kenyan-born athlete Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, a world-famous running hub in the Rift Valley.

And in 2021, record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop, 25, was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten. Her estranged husband is on trial over her murder and has denied the charges.

Joan Chelimo, athlete and cofounder of Tirop’s Angels, a group set up to combat gender-based violence after Tirop’s death, said she was “deeply shaken and outraged” by the attack on Cheptegei.

“This senseless violence must end.”

Latest figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics published in January 2023 found that 34 percent of women had experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

In 2022 alone, Kenya recorded 725 femicide cases, according to a UN report, the highest number since data collection began in 2015.