World News

Ten days after, man who set Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei on fire dies in hospital

693

The man who attacked Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died from injuries sustained when he poured petrol over the Olympic athlete, the Kenyan hospital treating him said Tuesday.

Police said that Dickson Ndiema Marangach assaulted Cheptegei in her home in western Kenya on September 1.

The mother-of-two sustained 80 percent burns and died last week.

Marangach also suffered 30% burns during the attack and was being treated in the intensive care unit at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret.

“It’s true we lost Dickson Ndiema last night at about 8:00 pm,” an official at the hospital’s communications department told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The official informed his family and promised to release a “comprehensive statement” later.

People in the East African nation have responded to the attack on the 33-year-old Cheptegei with sorrow and anger, viewing it as yet another horrifying instance of gender-based violence.

Since 2021, at least two other athletes have lost their lives at the hands of their partners.

The country’s Olympic Committee has scheduled Cheptegei’s burial for September 14 near her family home in eastern Uganda.

Local media reported that Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the attack, which occurred just weeks after she made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Games, where she finished 44th.

Police said Marangach snuck into her home in Endebess, near the border with Uganda, while she was at church with her children.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told reporters that the dispute with Marangach was over the property where she lived with her sister and daughters.

He told Kenyan media last week that Marangach had bought five litres of petrol and then hid out in a chicken coop before the attack.

“He poured the petrol and lit her on fire. When she called her sister to help, he threatened her with a machete, and she ran away.”

The police said the couple had “constantly had family wrangles.”

Violence against women is widespread in Kenya, which saw 725 femicide cases in 2022 alone, according to the latest UN figures.

A 2023 report by Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics found 34 percent of women had experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

Cheptegei’s death follows that of record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Kenyan-born Bahrain athlete Damaris Mutua the following year.

In both cases, their ex-partners were implicated in their deaths.

Tirop’s estranged partner, who denies murdering her, is on trial.

Leave a comment

Related Articles

US congressman drops bombshell, accuses USAID of funneling taxpayers’ money to Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Qaeda

A stunning revelation has rocked international circles as American Republican Congressman Scott...

African Union Launches Landmark Credit Rating Agency to Promote Regional Economic Integration

The African Union has taken a significant step towards promoting economic resilience...

EU, Germany Unveil Joint Initiative to Enhance Nigeria’s Renewable Energy Capacity

The European Union (EU) and Germany have launched a country window initiative...

Trump Imposes 25% Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Imports Amid Global Trade Tensions

In a move that is expected to significantly escalate his trade policy...

National Security Seizes US Dollars, Gold Bars, Fake Currency in Ghana

In a stunning operation, Ghana’s National Security has seized a large, unspecified...

US eliminates visa dropbox service for Nigerians amid overstay fear

The US Embassy in Nigeria has quietly removed the drop box visa...

Kemi Badenoch’s Citizenship Plan Sparks Outrage: “Burning the Ladder” for Future Immigrants?

Kemi Badenoch’s proposal to increase the waiting period for British citizenship from...

Trump Unveils Plan to Take Over Gaza Strip, Resettle Palestinians

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do...

NCAA Takes On Kenya Airways Over Alleged Passenger Mistreatment

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Kenya Airways are embroiled in...

New York United Airlines Plane Catches Fire on Runway, Passengers Terrified, Evacuated

Few days after a plane and copter collided in the air in...

Trump Cuts Funding to South Africa Over Land Reform Policies

“The issue of land ownership has long been a contentious one in...

Trump’s Tariffs Spark EU Backlash, Bloc Vows to Retaliate if….

The European Union on Sunday blasted US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs...

Horror as Nigerian doctor in US takes own life

A 36-year-old Nigerian cardiologist, Ikenna Erinne, based in the United States, has...

Trump launches trade war against Mexico, Canada, China, imposes sweeping tariffs on goods

President Donald Trump of the United States on Saturday followed through on...

After 2024 presidential defeat, US Democrats anoint new leader, Ken Martin, to take on Trump

After 2024 presidential defeat, US Democrats anoint new leader, Ken Martin, to...

Just In: 6 Feared Dead After Medical Plane Crashes Near Philadelphia Mall

A small medical plane carrying six people crashed near a shopping center...

Casualties as 60-passenger plane collides with chopper in Washington airport

Many are feared dead in an accident involving an American Airlines carrying...

Breaking: Passenger Jet crashes into Potomac River in Washington, after Mid-air collision with helicopter

An American Airlines regional jet has reportedly collided midair with a military...

ECOWAS Faces Setback as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso Officially Pull Out of Regional Bloc

The three military-led West African nations – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso...