Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei is currently fighting for life after her boyfriend reportedly poured petrol over her and set her on fire. The athlete, who finished 44th competing for Uganda in the women’s race at the Paris 2024 Games, is in critical condition after suffering burns to over 80% of her body following the attack outside her home in Kenya.
Her boyfriend has been identified as Dickson Ndiema. According to Trans Nzoia County’s police commander, Jeremiah Ole Kosiom, he allegedly bought a can of petrol, entered her house secretly, doused her with the petrol, and set her on fire following a dispute over the land on which her home was built.
“The couple was heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” he told the Standard newspaper in Kenya. “The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns on 30% of his body.”
Neighbours reportedly rescued Cheptegei before she and her attacker were taken to Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
History of violence attacks on female athletes in Kenya
Cheptegei is not the only female athlete who has been attacked in recent years. In 2021, Agnes Jebet Tirop, a Kenyan long-distance runner who competed in the Tokyo Olympics and broke world records, was found stabbed to death in her home. Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was charged with her murder but pleaded not guilty.
The following year, Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born athlete who competed for Bahrain, was found strangled with a pillow. Her decomposing body was discovered in a rental house in Lilies Estate, Iten Town, lying on the bed with a pillow on her face. Her alleged lover, now a fugitive, Eskinder Hailemariam Folie, is believed to be the prime suspect in her murder.
In both cases, the authorities identified their partners as the main suspects. Ms. Tirop’s husband is currently facing murder charges, which he denies, while the search for Ms. Mutua’s boyfriend continues.
