Ex-partner accused of killing Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies from burns

Rebecca Cheptegei, pictured participating in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, died following the attack. Credit: PA

The former partner of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who was accused of killing her by setting her on fire, has died in hospital in Kenya.

The Ugandan marathon runner died on Thursday after suffering 80% burns to her body and organ failure.

The 33-year-old’s former partner, Dickson Ndiema, died at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret on Monday night. He had been treated for burns covering 30% of his body, which he allegedly sustained in the attack.

Ndiema bought a container of petrol, poured it on the marathon runner and set her ablaze during a disagreement at her house, according to Trans Nzoia County Police.

A report filed by the local chief said the couple were heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.

Cheptegei's parents said their daughter had purchased land in Trans Nzoia, a county in Western Kenya, to be close to the county’s numerous athletic training centres.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening his daughter and the family informed the police.

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He said he wanted justice and was concerned the suspect was not being guarded by police at his hospital bed.

Cheptegei was a long-distance runner, competing in marathons and 10,000m races.

She finished 44th in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Paris plans to honour Cheptegei by naming a sports venue after her, city mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Friday. The proposal will be discussed by officials in October.

"Paris will not forget her and we will dedicate a sports venue to her, so that her memory and her story will remain among us, and help us carry even stronger the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games," Hidalgo said.

Cheptegei is expected to be buried at her home in Uganda on Saturday.

On average, every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member somewhere in the world, according to UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

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