Ex-Boyfriend Who Attacked Ugandan Athlete Rebecca Cheptegei Dies from Injuries

The man responsible for attacking Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died from injuries sustained during the assault, the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya, confirmed on Tuesday.

Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who assaulted the 33-year-old athlete in her home in western Kenya on September 1, suffered 30 per cent burns after pouring petrol over Cheptegei and setting her on fire.

Cheptegei, a mother of two, sustained 80 per cent burns in the attack and tragically passed away last week.

Marangach was being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit but succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening, according to a hospital official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“We lost Dickson Ndiema last night at about 8:00 pm,” the official stated, noting that his family had been informed.

The attack on Cheptegei has been met with widespread outrage, highlighting the growing issue of gender-based violence in the region.

The athlete had recently competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympic Games, finishing 44th.

Her death marked another heartbreaking case of violence against women in East Africa, particularly among athletes, following the killings of Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Bahrain-born Damaris Mutua in 2022.

Police said Marangach snuck into Cheptegei’s home in Endebess, near the Uganda-Kenya border, while she was attending church with her children.

According to local reports, the attack was witnessed by Cheptegei’s daughters. Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, revealed that the dispute between his daughter and Marangach stemmed from a property where she lived with her sister and daughters.

He told Kenyan media that Marangach purchased five litres of petrol and hid in a chicken coop before launching 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,” Joseph Cheptegei recounted.

Kenyan police confirmed that the couple had experienced ongoing family disputes before the fatal incident.

Cheptegei’s death has intensified calls for action against gender-based violence in Kenya, a country where femicide is alarmingly prevalent. According to the United Nations, 725 femicide cases were recorded in Kenya in 2022.

A 2023 report from Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics also revealed that 34 per cent of women in the country had experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

Cheptegei will be laid to rest on September 14 near her family home in eastern Uganda, according to the Ugandan Olympic Committee.

Her death has drawn comparisons to the cases of Tirop and Mutua, both of whom were killed by their ex-partners. Tirop’s estranged partner, who denies any involvement in her death, is currently on trial.

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