Ugandan athlete Cheptegei dies after arson attack by his friend

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ADDS doctor comments, reax

Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died in Kenya on Thursday, four days after she was 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 an epidemic of femicide.

The 33-year-old long-distance runner died at around 5:30 a.m. (02:30 GMT), the doctor treating her told reporters at a hospital in Eldoret in western Kenya.

“Her injuries were severe and covered large parts of her body. It resulted in multiple organ failure,” said Kimani Mbugua, head of the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

“We tried our best, but we didn't succeed. Given her age and the over 80 percent burns she suffered, there was little hope of recovery.”

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.

According to Kenyan media reports, her two young daughters witnessed the brutal attack.

It took place just weeks after Cheptegei competed in the Paris Olympic marathon, where she finished 44th.

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

The attack on Cheptegei made headlines around the world and was widely condemned, with condolences pouring in from the athletics community on Thursday.

Uganda Olympic Committee chairman Donald Rukare said she died “as a result of a brutal attack by her boyfriend.”

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

The Uganda Athletics Federation expressed its “deep sadness” to X over the death of Cheptegei, “who was tragically the victim of domestic violence”.

“As an association, we condemn such acts and demand justice.”

The Kenya National Olympic Committee expressed its “deepest condolences” to the Ugandan athletics community and Cheptegei's family and friends, describing her death as a “deep loss”.

“Rebecca’s talent and perseverance as Uganda’s record holder in the women’s marathon and an Olympian at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will always be remembered and celebrated.”

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

A police report said the couple had “constant family disputes.”

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

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

“He poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. When she called her sister for help, he threatened her with a machete and she ran away.”

The Kenyan newspaper The Standard reported that Cheptegei's daughters witnessed the 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 put out the flames with water, but it was not possible.”

The attack has once again highlighted domestic violence in Kenya.

Njeri Wa Migwi, founder of the gender-based violence organisation Usikimye, said of Cheptegei's death: “Yes, this is femicide. We must put an end to 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 record-breaking runner Agnes Tirop from Kenya was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten. Her estranged husband is on trial for murder and denies the charges.

Joan Chelimo, an athlete and co-founder of Tirop's Angels, a group formed after Tirop's death to combat gender-based violence, said she was “deeply shocked and outraged” by the attack on Cheptegei.

“This senseless violence must end.”

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

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

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