The man who attacked Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died from injuries sustained during the assault. Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who poured petrol over the Olympic athlete, succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya’s Rift Valley city.
According to the hospital spokesperson, Daniel Lang’at, Marangach died at 7:50 pm local time (16:50 GMT) from the burns he suffered.
Police reported that Marangach assaulted Cheptegei at her home in Endebess on September 1 while she was attending church with her children, aged nine and eleven. Cheptegei, who had suffered 80 percent burns, passed away last week. During the attack, Marangach also sustained 30 percent burns and had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
Joseph Cheptegei, the victim’s father, revealed that the attack was related to a dispute over property where Rebecca Cheptegei lived with her sister and daughters. Marangach reportedly purchased five liters (1.3 gallons) of petrol and hid in a chicken coop before the assault. He poured the petrol on Cheptegei and ignited it. When Cheptegei called for help, Marangach threatened her sister with a machete, forcing her to flee.
The police indicated that Marangach and Cheptegei had ongoing family disputes.
The United Nations condemned Cheptegei’s “violent murder,” with Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, highlighting that “gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world and should be treated as such.”
Cheptegei’s tragic death, following her 44th-place finish in Paris, is the third killing of an elite sportswoman in Kenya since October 2021.
Her death has intensified the focus on domestic violence in Kenya, particularly within its running community.
