The former partner of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who is accused of killing her by setting her on fire, has died from burns sustained during the attack, according to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.
Cheptegei, 33, who competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, suffered severe burns to over 75% of her body in the September 1 assault and died four days later.
Her former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, passed away at 7:50 p.m. (1650 GMT) on Monday from his injuries, Daniel Lang’at, a spokesperson for the hospital, confirmed.
“He died from his injuries, the burns he sustained,” Lang’at told Reuters. Marangach reportedly had 30% of his body burned when he attacked Cheptegei as she was returning home from church with her children.
Cheptegei’s death has cast a spotlight on domestic violence in Kenya, particularly within its running community. She is the third elite female athlete to be killed in Kenya since October 2021.
“Justice would have been him facing jail time and reflecting on his actions. This is not positive news at all,” said Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a support group for survivors of domestic violence in Kenya’s athletic community.
The group was established in memory of Agnes Tirop, a promising athlete who was murdered in October 2021.
Cheptoo expressed the community’s ongoing shock: “The shock of Rebecca’s death is still fresh.”
Tirop’s Angels was founded in response to the murder of Tirop, whose husband Ibrahim Rotich has been charged with her killing and has pleaded not guilty. The case remains ongoing.
Government data from 2022 reveals that nearly 34% of Kenyan girls and women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, with married women particularly vulnerable.
The survey also found that 41% of married women have faced violence. Globally, a woman is murdered by a family member every 11 minutes, according to a 2023 UN Women study.
Source-Reuters
