Ugandan Runner Rebecca Cheptegei Hospitalized After Being Set on Fire by Boyfriend in Kenya
Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei is receiving treatment for severe burns after being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya. The incident occurred following a dispute over land.
Bollywood Fever: Ugandan long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei is currently receiving treatment for severe burns covering 75 percent of her body after a horrific incident in which her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, allegedly set her on fire. The attack took place at her home in Kenya on Sunday, September 1.
According to multiple reports, including those from the BBC and the Associated Press, Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom stated that Ndiema “bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her, and set her ablaze during a disagreement.”
Neighbors reportedly heard the couple quarreling outside their house before Ndiema was seen pouring the liquid on Cheptegei and igniting the fire.
Both Cheptegei and Ndiema suffered burns during the incident and are currently being treated at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.
The tragic event occurred just weeks after Cheptegei competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the marathon event.
The exact status of Cheptegei and Ndiema’s relationship remains unclear, but reports suggest that the argument was related to the land on which Cheptegei’s house was built.
Cheptegei’s parents revealed that she had purchased the land in Trans Nzoia to continue her training.
Police commander Kosiom told The Standard that neighbors acted quickly to extinguish the flames and rush both Cheptegei and Ndiema to the hospital.
Items collected from the scene, including a five-liter jerrican, a bag, a black marvin, and a burnt mobile phone, are undergoing forensic analysis.
Cheptegei has been a professional athlete since 2010, with notable achievements including a fourth-place finish at the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon in 2022, which secured her spot in the Paris Olympics.
Prior to this year’s Olympics, she also won the Kampala 10,000-meter race in Uganda.
This incident comes just months after another tragic event involving a Ugandan athlete. In December 2023, fellow Ugandan Olympian Benjamin Kiplagat was found stabbed to death in Eldoret.
Kiplagat, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the 3,000m steeplechase, was found with multiple stab wounds, and two men were arrested earlier this year in connection with his death.
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