Nairobi, KENYA — In a harrowing act of violence, Ugandan distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei has been brutally attacked and set ablaze by her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema. The shocking incident happened at Cheptegei’s home in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya, leaving her with catastrophic burns covering 75% of her body.
Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished at the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her house in the western Trans Nzoia County.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.
Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.
A report filed by the local chief states that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.
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