Ugandan Athlete Set Ablaze by Boyfriend in Kenya, Receives Treatment for 75% Burns

A shocking incident has left the athletic community in Kenya reeling after a Ugandan athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, was set ablaze by her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, in their home in Trans Nzoia County.

According to police reports, Ndiema, Cheptegei’s boyfriend, poured petrol on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement on Sunday. The attack left Cheptegei with severe burns, covering 75% of her body.

Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished 44th in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is currently receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city, along with her boyfriend, who also sustained burn wounds.

The couple’s disagreement is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over the land where their house was built, according to a report filed by the local chief. Cheptegei’s parents revealed that their daughter had purchased the land to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.

This incident is the latest in a series of tragic events involving athletes in Kenya. In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds, while in 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.

The motive behind these incidents remains unclear, but the athletic community is left to mourn the latest victim of violence, and to hope for Cheptegei’s swift recovery.

Note: This article is a factual report and does not contain any additional commentary or opinion.