Ex-boyfriend who set Ugandan athlete ablaze dies - Report

Dickson Ndiema, the former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, has died from injuries sustained in an attack that also claimed Cheptegei’s life, according to a report from a Kenyan hospital official cited by bbc.com.

Ndiema succumbed to his injuries on the night of Monday, September 9, 2024, while in the intensive care unit, having suffered burns covering more than 30% of his body.

“It’s true he [Ndiema] has died from the [burn] injuries,” Dr. Owen Menach from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital is said to have told the BBC.

Also, a press release from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital shed light on the incident as reported by bbc.com.

"He developed respiratory failure as a result of the severe airway burns and sepsis that led to his eventual death on Monday evening at 18:30 hours [15:30 GMT] despite life-saving measures."

Ndiema was facing charges as police were treating Cheptegei’s death as a murder, with him being the main suspect. Both were admitted to Moi Hospital in Eldoret before their deaths.

Cheptegei, 33, was the third athlete to be killed in Kenya in the past three years, with intimate partners often named as the main suspects by police.

Born on the Kenyan side of the Kenya-Uganda border, Cheptegei chose to represent Uganda to pursue her athletics career after failing to make a breakthrough in Kenya.

She is set to be buried at her residence in Bukwo, Uganda.

Cheptegei's journey and legacy

Cheptegei was born on the Kenyan side of the Kenya-Uganda border but chose to cross over to Uganda to pursue her athletics dream after failing to make a breakthrough in Kenya.

She began her running career by joining the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant.

Her career highlights include competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the marathon. Despite this, she was celebrated as a "champion" by people in her home area.

She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.

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