Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete, has tragically passed away at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.
The athlete aged 33 years succumbed to her injuries after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with severe burn wounds.
MTRH Acting Director Dr. Owen Menach confirmed her death, stating that Cheptegei’s organs failed as a result of the extensive burns.
Cheptegei sustained burns on 80% of her body after her alleged boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, doused her in petrol and set her ablaze.
The horrific incident took place at her home in Endebes, Trans Nzoia County, on Sunday.
Marangach, who also sustained burns during the attack, was admitted to the same ICU with about 30% burn injuries.
The tragic sequence of events unfolded when Cheptegei returned home from church with her children, only to be ambushed by Marangach, who had sneaked into her home with a five-litre jerrican of petrol.
Neighbors, alerted by the commotion, managed to rescue both individuals, and they were rushed to the hospital in critical condition before being referred to MTRH.
Cheptegei’s father, Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, clarified that his daughter and Marangach were not in a romantic relationship but had been friends for some time.
He alleged that the attack was driven by a land dispute involving property belonging to his daughter in Endebes.
Authorities are expected to issue further updates as investigations into the brutal attack continue.
