The man who set Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei ablaze last week has died from the burns he sustained during the fatal attack on the Ugandan athlete.
Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, tragically passed away in a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, after suffering severe burns covering 80% of her body.
The incident occurred when her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, doused her in petrol and set her on fire following a heated argument at her home in Kenya’s Trans Nzoia County.
Ndiema, who sustained 30% burns during the attack, was rushed to the hospital, where Kenyan police planned to detain him once he recovered.
However, this morning, officials confirmed that Ndiema also succumbed to his injuries.
A police statement explained, “Dickson Ndiema Marangach has died from burns he sustained while setting Rebecca ablaze, after an argument reportedly linked to a land ownership dispute.”
Cheptegei’s neighbors reported hearing a loud argument between the pair before Ndiema snapped, pouring petrol on her and setting her alight. Despite neighbors’ attempts to extinguish the flames, the Olympian was severely injured and later died of multiple organ failure.
One neighbor, Agnes Barabara, recalled the horrifying moment she saw Cheptegei running towards her house engulfed in flames, pleading for help. As Barabara rushed to find water, Ndiema reappeared and poured more petrol on Cheptegei.
Barabara, visibly shaken by the experience, said she had not been able to eat for days, adding, “I have never witnessed someone being burned alive.”
Cheptegei, originally born in Kenya, represented Uganda in her athletic career.
She rose to prominence in 2022, winning gold in the up-and-downhill mountain race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand. She also won the Padova marathon in Italy and finished second in the Abu Dhabi marathon with the second-fastest time ever by a Ugandan woman.
