Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei Dies After Being Set On Fire By Her Boyfriend

Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei Dies After Being Set On Fire By Her Boyfriend

Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei has died after being set on fire by her boyfriend. She and her boyfriend Dickson Ndiema were fighting over a piece of land when he used petrol last Sunday to set her on fire, burning 75% of her body.

She died at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya on September 5, 2024.

President of Uganda Olympics Committee, Donald Rukare, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei…following a vicious attack by her boyfriend. May her gentle soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women. This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure.”

Rebecca, aged 33, is said to have been attacked by her boyfriend in her house in Western Trans Nzoia County, Kenya.

On Monday, the Police Commander of Trans Nzoia County, Jeremiah ole Kosiom, revealed that Cheptegei’s boyfriend named Dickson Ndiema, bought a can of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during an argument Sunday, September 1, 2024.

The police Commander said Ndiema in the process also sustained burn wounds, adding he and Cheptegei were both receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referring Hospital in Eldoret City.

Meanwhile, Cheptegei’s parents are reported to have stated that their 33-year-old daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centres.

A report from the local chief says the couple were heard fighting over the land where the house was built, before the fire started.