Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei passes away 5 days following partner set her on fire

(MENAFN) Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, aged 33, tragically passed away on Thursday at a hospital following a horrific domestic incident in Kenya. Cheptegei, who recently competed in the 10,000-meter race at the Paris Olympics, sustained critical injuries after her partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, allegedly set fire to her home in Trans Nzoia County, western Kenya, during a dispute. The incident occurred five days before her death. According to Owen Menach, the director of Clinical Services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, where Cheptegei was treated, she suffered severe burns covering 80 percent of her body and was admitted to the ICU.

Local authorities, including Trans Nzoia County police commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom, confirmed that Marangach, who also sustained burns during the incident, is receiving treatment at the same hospital. This tragic event has once again highlighted the issue of violence against female athletes in the region, echoing previous incidents. In 2021, Kenyan long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was fatally stabbed by her husband at her home in Iten. Similarly, in 2022, Damaris Muthee Mutua, another Kenyan long-distance runner, was found dead in her home, with her Ethiopian boyfriend later implicated in her murder before being found dead in Ethiopia.

Cheptegei’s death has sent shockwaves through the sporting community, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of female athletes, who have increasingly become victims of domestic violence in recent years.

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