Ugandan athlete Rebeca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by her boyfriend – Firstpost

Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died in Kenya on Thursday, four days after she was set on fire by her boyfriend, doctors and Ugandan athletics officials said.

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

“We have learned of the sad death of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei… following a brutal attack by her boyfriend,” said Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare in a post on X.

“This was a cowardly and senseless act that resulted in the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will live on.”

According to police, a man identified as Cheptegei's partner Dickson Ndiema Marangach doused her with petrol and set it on fire at her house in Endebess in western Trans-Nzoia County on Sunday.

The incident occurred just weeks after 33-year-old Cheptegei competed in the Paris Olympic marathon, where she finished 44th.

Cheptegei suffered burns to 80 percent of her body in the attack, the deputy head of the facility where she was treated told reporters on Tuesday.

“All her organs failed last night,” a doctor at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) told AFP on Thursday.

A nurse who treated Cheptegei said she died at 5:00 a.m. (02:00 GMT).

A medical adviser at the hospital said on Wednesday that Cheptegei's condition had worsened and she had developed a sepsis infection.

“Call for justice”

The athlete received numerous honors.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the death this morning of our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who was tragically the victim of domestic violence,” the Uganda Athletics Federation said on X.

“As an association, we condemn such acts and demand justice. May her soul rest in peace.”

The Kenya National Olympic Committee said on X that it extended its “deepest condolences” to the Ugandan sporting community and to Cheptegei’s family and friends.

“Rebecca’s talent and perseverance as a Ugandan record holder in the women’s marathon and Olympian at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will always be remembered and celebrated,” it said.

“Her untimely and tragic death is a profound loss and our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time as we honor her legacy and work to end gender-based violence.”

According to police, Marangach broke into Cheptegei's house on Sunday afternoon while she was at church with her children.

She lived with her sister and two daughters in Endebess, an area near the border with Uganda, her father Joseph Cheptegei told the Kenyan media.

– “I screamed for help” –
The newspaper “Standard” reported that Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the brutal attack.

“He kicked me while I was trying to help my mother,” one of the girls was quoted as saying.

“I immediately called for help and called a neighbor who tried to extinguish the flames with water, but it was not possible,” said the girl, whose name was not given.

Marangach was also injured in the incident and suffered burns to 30 percent of his body. His current condition is unknown.

According to police, it was a couple who had “constant family disputes.”

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

Njeri Wa Migwi, a feminist activist who founded Usikimye, an organization that fights gender-based violence, said of her death: “Yes, this is femicide. We must end femicide.”

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

And in 2021, 25-year-old Kenyan record-breaking runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten. Her estranged husband is on trial for her murder and denies the charges.

Recent figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics from January 2023 show that 34 percent of women in the country have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.